INDEPENDENT NEWSMEDIA
More than 12,100 acres are involved in the Wildcat Fire, which began Saturday morning north of Dynamite Boulevard and 136th Street, authorities said.
Weather conditions led to the expansion of the fire involving grass and desert shrub, and officials said Sunday it was zero percent contained as 180 firefighters battled the blaze, according to the Tonto National Forest Facebook page.
“The fire is active on the southeast side of the fire perimeter,” officials stated Sunday on the social media site. “Fire crews are scouting and constructing fire lines to prevent the spread of the fire. Aviation operations continue to slow the growth of the fire using fire retardant and water.”
Smoke from the Wildcat Fire may be visible in the surrounding areas for many days, drifting north and east due to southwest winds, officials said.
Smoke-sensitive individuals and people with respiratory problems or heart disease are encouraged to take precautionary measures, they advise.
The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office closed Bartlett Dam Road Saturday.
Firefighters were able to stop the progression on the Basin Fire over the weekend after it broke out near Hewitt Station on the Mesa Ranger District, forest service officials said.
Mesa Ranger District fire crews along with the Queen Valley Fire Department and Pinal County Sheriff's Office responded to the area along with four engines and an air tanker. The fire covered about 50 acres.
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