Contributed Photo/Courtesy U.S Forest Service Safford Ranger District: A human-caused wildfire burned roughly 37.4 acres of grass and brush near Noon Creek on Mt. Graham on Friday and Saturday.
Human-caused wildfire under investigation and not related to prescribed burning at Columbine
By Jon Johnson
jonjohnsonnews@gmailcom
MOUNT GRAHAM – A human-caused wildfire that burned 37.4 acres of brush in the area of Noon Creek on Mount Graham was 100 percent contained as of Saturday afternoon.
The Safford Ranger District of the U.S. Forest Service initially responded to the Noon Creek area of Mount Graham on Friday to stop the wildfire.
While the case is still under investigation, the wildfire had nothing to do with the prescribed slash piles the Forest Service was burning at Columbine, which is roughly nine miles away as the crow flies.
According to Incident Commander Everett Phillips, the wildfire was located roughly 1.5 miles east of Noon Creek with the call coming in regarding the fire at about 11 a.m. on Friday.
“It was a human-caused fire,” Phillips told the Gila Herald. “We put two engine crews and a 20-person crew on it on Friday. We ended up getting forward progress stopped just before dark on Friday. And then everybody was back out there on Saturday. It was 100 percent contained on Saturday afternoon.”
The fire was burning grass and brush and no infrastructure was threatened. According to Phillips, the fire burned 37.4 acres as of Monday afternoon.
The incident is being investigated by two Forest Service law enforcement officers out of Sierra Vista.
