A week later, Bighorn Fire continues to rage near Tucson; residents on alert

“I just told the kids, 'Hey, pack enough clothes for three or four days and bring your laptop, and leave the rest because it's not worth losing your life, and I hope the house will be intact when we return,'” Jonathan Kary said. “We can replace everything, but we cannot replace people. »

As they fled the Bighorn Fire, which burned 8,950 acres north of Tucson, they wanted to help some of their elderly neighbors who were also evacuating, but people were hesitant to ask for help because of fears of contracting COVID-19.

The Karys took their animals, except for the chihuahua, to the Pima Animal Care Center, which temporarily houses evacuees' pets. They then headed to the McCoy Hotel, which is offering 50 percent off rooms for displaced residents.

The family returned home Friday, saying the smoke had cleared near their home, but they might have to leave soon.

The evacuation order was lifted Friday around 5 p.m., but the affected area was placed in “set” mode, a designation where residents are asked to leave voluntarily or be prepared to evacuate if conditions change.

After lifting the order, authorities warned that emergency services cannot guarantee they will be able to warn everyone if conditions deteriorate rapidly.

“If there is a fire, we may not be able to get back into the area. Emergency crews may not be able to get back into the area,” said Deputy James Allerton, a spokesman for the Pima County Sheriff's Department.

Just three hours later, at 8 p.m. Friday, a new evacuation zone was declared for parts of the Catalina area near East Golder Ranch Drive and East Rollins Road.

Pima County also declared a neighboring area in “set” mode. The northern boundary of the set area is Hawser Street. From there south, the western boundary is Lago Del Oro Parkway. Where Lago Del Oro Parkway meets Bowman Road, the boundary line runs directly west to Oracle Road. The southern and eastern boundaries are Forest Service boundaries.

Successful fire operations near Pima Canyon on Friday helped lower Thursday's evacuation order near the Foothills. The decommissioned evacuation zone included the upscale neighborhoods of Pima Estates, Catalina Ridge Estates, The Enclave at Pima Canyon, Villas at Rancho Sin Vacas, Villa Milano at Rancho Sin Vacas, Sin Vacas and The Canyons.

This area, along with parts of the Catalina Foothills and Oro Valley, remain in “defined” mode.

Crews were concentrating their efforts near the community of Golder Ranch Friday evening, where fires intensified during the day due to extremely hot and dry conditions.

The northeast flank of the Bighorn Fire expanded into lower Romero Canyon on Friday, producing smoke east of Catalina State Park, the Coronado National Forest said.

Several helicopters and air tankers worked in the area to extinguish the fire and drop retardants to slow its spread.

Temperatures are expected to reach 104 degrees Saturday with a 10 percent chance of dry thunderstorms in the area and a 5 percent chance Monday, officials said.

The fire is only 10 per cent contained – a figure unlikely to increase much because firefighters cannot access the rocky terrain where the flames are burning, said Travis Mabery of the South West Incident Management Team.

“The retardant doesn't put out the fire, it's a delay tactic,” Mabery said. Flames will eat away the retardant unless firefighters can enter the area and cut fire lines to stop it.

The fire, which started June 5, had not progressed toward homes as of Friday, but that doesn't mean the structures are any less at risk, Mabery said.

“It's still very hot up there,” he said.

The National Wildfire Coordinating Group estimates the containment date for the Bighorn Fire to be June 25, but the date is subject to change (a few days ago it was June 20) depending on conditions on the ground .

In addition to protecting homes, crews focused on fighting the fire in a way that prevents future problems such as runoff and flooding, Mabery said.

As of Friday, 550 people were working on the fire. Resources included:

• seven shock teams
• four type 2 teams
• a type 1 engine
• eighteen type 3 engines
• a type 4 engine
• sixteen Type 6 engines
• four Type 1 helicopters
• a type 2 helicopter
• two type 3 helicopters
• 11 water annexes.

Air quality is likely to improve over the weekend due to afternoon winds that should help blow smoke from the Bighorn Fire out of the metro area, according to a news release from Pima County Department of Environmental Quality Press.

The department warns that if people smell smoke, they are breathing smoke and smoke concentrations can change.

People sensitive to air pollution should review county air quality data at tucne.ws/airqual.

The Sheriff's Department said Friday that traffic was congested, which created hazards for the public and emergency personnel. Residents are asked to avoid the Catalina Foothills unless they are traveling to homes or doing business.