Diane Drobka Photo: Flames and smoke from the Salt Fire are seen at sunset on Thursday.
Margo Fire near Dudleyville also expected to contribute to smoky conditions
By Jon Johnson
BYLAS – A wildfire that began near the Gila River in Bylas on Thursday is expected to continue to affect the Gila Valley with its smoke. A second wildfire along the Gila River that started the same day is also expected to contribute to smoky conditions.
The Salt Fire began Thursday and quickly burned more than 2,500 acres as high winds swept the flames eastward. The fire traversed along the riverbed area and crossed the reservation toward Fort Thomas.
Planes flew over the Blackpoint area near Bylas on Thursday, dropping fire retardant to protect nearby homes from the fire.
Backburning operations were conducted Thursday night by the Bureau of Land Management in cooperation with the Forest Service and San Carlos Apache Forest Rescue Program.
As of Friday morning, the fire was burning near milepost 300 of U.S. Highway 70 and had come within a mile of a handful of homes in the Fort Thomas area. Firefighting efforts are utilizing back roads including Fort Thomas River Road, and authorities encourage the populace to stay away from the area. All of Graham County was under a red flag warning for fires on Thursday due, in part, to the windy conditions.
The cause of the fire is unknown and remains under investigation.
The smoke from the Salt Fire is expected to continue to affect the Gila Valley into Saturday and is being aided by another brush fire along the Gila River near Dudleyville in Pinal County.
The Margo Fire began Thursday morning and had grown to more than 500 acres. The town of Dudleyville has been evacuated and some structures have been burned.
The cause of the fire is unknown and remains under investigation. It is burning mostly Salt Cedar, grass, and brush, and is reportedly at 20 percent containment.
