Crews are making progress fighting the Simmons Fire near Kearny in Pinal County, which had destroyed five structures as of Wednesday, the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management posted on X.
The fire, which began shortly before 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 28, around 4.5 miles northwest of Kearny, was mapped by the department at 315 acres with no containment Thursday morning. Kearny is about 75 miles north of Tucson.
It died down some its second night due to cooler temperatures, the department said.
The fire has damaged five structures and destroyed four, according to a damage assessment conducted Wednesday.
The Riverside community is still on GO (evacuate) status while communities to its south are on the SET (be alert) status, as placed by the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office. Around 50 homes in total are within the SET and GO status, and residents have been encouraged to monitor the PCSO’s updates on X.
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The command of the fire was taken Wednesday by the Nevada Type 3 Incident Management Team. More than 170 personnel were placed along with a hotshot crew, Type 2 hand crews, engines, water tenders, a dozer, and an aircraft, which is available as needed.
The priority for crews Thursday was to focus on the Gila River perimeter, which is the fire’s most active portion, along the east and southeast sides. Other priorities are protecting the town of Kearny, minimizing the fire spreading, and providing mitigation to infrastructure including powerlines and the railroad.
The fire might see flare-ups and smoky conditions as daytime temperatures warm up, the department said. Thursday's weather forecast included dry conditions, above-average temperatures and southeast wind at 5 to 6 mph.
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