Smoke from the Bighorn Fire blows Northeast over the Catalina Mountains on June 30, 2020 in Tucson, Ariz. Photo taken from N. Camino Del Codorniz and E. Broadway Blvd.

The Bighorn Fire has reached 78% containment and all Summerhaven and Willow Canyon residents and employees are allowed to return to the area.

Restrictions are in place, however, and residents and employees will be escorted by the Pima County Sheriff’s Department along Catalina Highway until further notice. A schedule is in place for the drive along Catalina Highway:

  • 5:30 a.m. β€” leaving Willow Canyon near milepost 16, for milepost 0
  • 8 a.m. β€” leaving milepost 0 for Willow Canyon
  • 12 p.m. β€” leaving Willow Canyon near milepost 16, for milepost 0
  • 1 p.m. β€” leaving milepost 0 for Willow Canyon
  • 5 p.m. β€” leaving Willow Canyon near milepost 16 for milepost 0
  • 6 p.m. β€” leaving milepost 0 for Willow CanyonΒ 

The schedule could change depending on fire conditions, PCSD said. Fire crews are still working in the area so residents and employees have been advised to drive carefully.Β 

Tucsonans may have seen more smoke yesterday in the Mount Lemmon area in comparison with recent days. It was nothing to be concerned about and didn’t create a significant threat to fire lines, said Buck Wickham, an operations chief with the Southwest Area Incident Management Team.

Suppression repair β€” repairing lines that were put in to stop the fire β€” is just about finished, especially along northern areas. There’s still some fire in the Redington Pass area and fire officials will be keeping Redington Road closed for now, Wickham said.

Portions of the fire that have active fire edges haven’t moved much in the last few days, the incident management team said in a press release.Β 

β€œHotshot crews working in the Summerhaven area will continue to prep along the Catalina Highway where fire is still active on the south flank of Rose Peak,” the release said.Β Sabino Canyon, Bear Canyon and Catalina State Park remain closed.

The Bighorn Fire was started by lightning near Pusch Ridge on June 5. It has burned 119,020 acres as of Wednesday morning.


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