A wildfire that started Sunday about a half-mile from the Biosphere 2 science facility near Oracle Junction was fully contained by Monday morning, officials said.
The wildfire broke out Sunday morning, Arizona State Forestry officials said.
The fireβs cause wasnβt immediately known. It grew to about 13 acres by Sunday afternoon and remained that size when it was put out.
Crews from the State Forestry, Golder Ranch Fire District and Northwest Fire District worked Sunday to keep the wildfire from reaching the Biosphere facility. State Forestry launched single-engine air tankers to assist with suppression.
No evacuations were ordered, and authorities said crews remained on the scene Monday, conducting fire suppression activities and looking for any leftover hot spots.
Biosphere 2 was built between 1987 and 1991 as a way to test the viability of closed ecological systems and human life in outer space. The tests were held twice in the early 1990s, the Associated Press reported this weekend.
The facility is owned and operated by the University of Arizona.
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