Tucson Wildfire Reaches 50% Containment
- Nathaniel Wiley
- Jun 21, 2023
- 1 min read
Updated: Jun 25, 2023
A fire near Ventana Canyon in Tucson, AZ was confirmed at approximately 3:30am on the 20th of June, 2023. The cause of this fire is currently unknown, but the US Forest Service suspects the fire was caused by a lightning strike. The fire is burning near the area in which the Bighorn Fire burned in Tucson in 2020.
As of about 4:00pm on Wednesday, the fire in Ventana Canyon reached 50% containment after spreading an estimated 133 acres of land. The Pima County Sheriff's Department will lift closures of trailheads and parking lots previously affected by the fire at 8pm Wednesday night. The Forest Service reports that “Due to continued work on the line, forward progress was designated "stopped" at 4:00 PM. This means that the fire containment lines have held and have not been tested. Firefighters will remain on the mountain overnight to address any hot spots or threats to the line.”
The Forest Service completed over 20 retardant drops on the fire, no more drops have been planned.
For more information, follow the Coronado National Forest Service’s Facebook page which posts updates frequently. For an update from 6/25/23, see the comment section below this article.
Works Cited “U.S. Forest Service - Coronado National Forest.” Facebook, 2023, m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid0x7Rb1XqzJnuMCCq951Amrp6GNXLTCdgoYKF3VuE6NntUE39ryYKC2GXeymY16UGtl&id=100069349023607. Accessed 21 June 2023.
UPDATE (6/25/23):
According to the U.S. Forest Service, the fire is now contained to 80%, and fire crews have been taken off of the mountain.
Timely report Nate well done! I did not know much about this fire thanks for enlightening me.
Nice report and photos. I was just wondering about the state of this fire - you read my mind! Thank you!