Bryce Fire lines holding through Red Flag days

Fire at 3,137 acres with 29 percent containment as of Monday night

By Jon Johnson

FORT THOMAS — The Bryce Fire’s fire lines continued to hold near Fort Thomas through high winds on Monday, and minimal fire activity was seen overnight.

The human-caused fire began just west of Pima on May 7, just before 3:30 p.m. As of Monday night, it had burned roughly 3,137 acres and was listed at 29 percent containment. According to Graham County Sheriff P.J. Allred, no official cause has yet to be listed.

*Jon Johnson Photo/Gila Herald: Firefighters from across the state are working the Bryce Fire.*

High winds had swept the fire northwest toward Fort Thomas, but the wind direction changed on Monday, helping to keep northern containment lines. The updated fire activity also led the Graham County Sheriff’s Office to downgrade its “SET” notification for residents in the river corridor and those along the highway between Eden and Fort Thomas to “READY” instead. The bridge at Bryce/Eden Road and River Road in Fort Thomas remains closed.

*Contributed Photo: Several vehicles and other items at the Eterna Building Systems block plant burned, resulting in a preliminary estimated $200,000 in damage.*

The fire tore through along the highway to the river on Friday, going six miles in one day. Firefighters from all over the state converged and fought to save homes, businesses, and other resources. Most of the damage has been to infrastructure, such as utilities. While there have been no reports of damaged or destroyed structures, one business along the highway reported fire losses up to a possible $200,000 in damages.

*Contributed Photo: This electric panel box, worth an estimated $10,000, was one of the items burned at the Eterna Block plant.*

The Eterna Building Systems block plant, located just off Highway 70 near Bryce/Eden Road, had multiple vehicles, an electric panel box, a service trailer, and other backup systems for the plant burn. Firefighters kept the flames away from the plant itself, however, and most of the items burned were backup equipment and vehicles saved for future use or sale.

The area is under another Red Flag Warning for high winds on Tuesday. As the day progresses, increased fire activity could result in areas where heavy fuels inhibit firefighter access for mop-up operations.

Hot Shot crews, hand crews, and engines will continue to work containment lines today as a big mop-up operation is underway along the northern edges of the fire to suppress lingering heat. A total of 285 crew members are currently working the fire, which is managed by the Southeast Zone Type 3 Incident Management Team under Incident Commander Chad Rice.

Stage 2 fire restrictions remain in place for Southeastern Arizona.