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Wind Driven San Rafael Fire Grows to 10,000 Acres
Due to high winds and dry fuels, the fire grew dramatically in size Sunday and is now at approximately 10,000 acres. The wind-driven fire continues to push to the northeast across a heavy grass crop and is burning actively on the northeast side of the fire. Crews have been utilizing firing operations as part of structure protection to residences ahead of the fire. The Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office has put multiple areas into GO including, the San Rafael Valley and residences on Canelo Pass Road and Canelo Pass. Residents and visitors should always be aware of their surroundings as conditions can change rapidly. The Arizona Department of Transportation has also closed SR 83 NB at the Cochise-Santa Cruz County line; milepost 10.
A Red Flag Warning has been issued for Sunday for much of Arizona including the southeastern part of the state. High winds, low relative humidity, warm temperatures, and a dry fuel bed can exasperate conditions within the fire area. Any ignition source into the dry fuels can start quickly and spread very rapidly. Those weather conditions have been challenging firefighters all day making suppression of the fire difficult. The San Rafael Fire started Saturday night, May 7, approximately 22 miles southeast of Patagonia and is burning within the San Rafael State Natural Area. Ground resources, including hand crews, engines and water tenders are engaged, along with multiple pieces of aircraft. One secondary structure has been confirmed destroyed. The fire is under investigation.
AZ Forestry on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/arizonastateforestry
AZ Forestry on Twitter: https://twitter.com/azstateforestry
ADOT Road Conditions: Dial 5-1-1
Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Office: https://santacruzsheriff.org/
Basic Information
| Current as of |
5/8/2022, 3:49:43 PM |
| Incident Type |
Wildfire |
| Cause |
Under Investigation |
| Date of Origin |
Saturday May 07, 2022 approx. 06:45 PM |
| Location |
22 miles SE Patagonia |
| Incident Commander |
Chad Rice, SE Zone Type 3 |
| Incident Description |
Wildfire |
| Coordinates |
31.353 latitude, -110.614 longitude |
Current Situation
| Total Personnel |
50 |
| Size |
10,000 Acres |
| Fuels Involved |
Grass
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| Significant Events |
Multiple areas under GO per the Santa Cruz Sheriff's Office
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Current Weather
| Weather Concerns |
Red Flag Warning in effect for fire area, to include wind gusts up to 45 mph and low relative humidity
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