About 30 homes in Cochise Stronghold were being evacuated Thursday night because of the 200-acre Dragoon Fire, said Cochise County sheriff’s officials.
“The erratic fire behavior and wind has led to this decision,” said Carol Capas, a Cochise County sheriff’s spokeswoman.
“There is one road in and out of the canyon, and it will become a challenge for firefighting personnel so we are using extra caution,” said Capas of the fire in the Dragoon Mountains, southeast of Benson.
A shelter was opened at Benson High School and officials with the Southern Arizona Chapter of the American Red Cross were notified.
The Dragoon Fire began at the same time the Lizard Fire, also in the Dragoon Mountains, erupted from lightning strikes Wednesday.
Several new lightning-caused wildfires are burning in Southern Arizona, while crews continue to battle the two largest fires, Lizard and Bowie. Both these fires also forced evacuations.
Multiple agencies are working the fires with help from out-of-state crews, including hotshot firefighters from Nevada and Colorado and national air support, said Tiffany Davila, an Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management spokeswoman.
“Everyone is spread pretty thin and the crews are tired,” said Davila of firefighting in Arizona’s heat.
The Lizard Fire had burned 3,500 acres southeast of the community of Dragoon as of Thursday night. Dragoon is 17 miles east and northeast of Benson.
One home burned in the fire in an area that was evacuated late Wednesday night. No injuries have been reported, Capas said.
The blaze is burning in tall grass and brush. Fire crews, air tankers and helicopters are assigned to fight the fire. A Type 1 management team has been ordered for the fire, said Heidi Schewel, a Coronado National Forest spokeswoman.
Residences south of Dragoon Road have already been evacuated, said Capas. Pre-evacuation notices have been given to homes north of Dragoon Road and in the Dragoon Mountain Ranch area.
Families evacuated are staying with relatives and friends, and some are in motels in the Benson area.
The area received “sprinkles” from an overcast sky, and the fires are creating their own winds and several dust devils have developed, Capas said. “This is causing smoke to disperse from the Lizard Fire through the Dragoon Valley and the backside of Cochise Stronghold,” she said.
Another blaze — the Saner Fire — is burning in the Pedregosa Mountains northeast of Douglas and will most likely affect the Cochise Stronghold area. It has burned less than 200 acres.
The Bowie Fire, about 13 miles southeast of the community of Bowie, has burned 2,261 acres near the Fort Bowie National Historic Site. About 150 personnel have been assigned to the fire, which has forced the evacuation of 15 people from Diamond Mountain Retreat Center, said Davila.
No structures have been lost in this fire. More ground and air crews will be brought in Friday morning, and crews will continue working to protect about 30 structures in the area, including the retreat center.
The Paige Creek Fire is burning on the east side of the Rincon Mountains east of Tucson. It is estimated at 500 acres. The fire is growing at moderate speed and there are several ranches in the area. Crews are working to stop the fire’s growth on its western flank. The cause of this fire is under investigation.
The Frye Fire, which is lightning-caused, has been reported about 10 miles west/southwest of Safford in the Pinaleño Mountains. Crews were being assigned to this 15-acre fire that has plenty of fuel to feed off, said Schewel, explaining dead trees and wood on the ground burned in a previous fire in very steep, rough terrain.
