The Burro fire has burned 14,000 acres in the hills northeast of Tucson since last Friday, forcing the evacuation of the nearby town of Summerhaven.
Fire information officer Sharma Chavez said the decision to evacuate was made so firefighters could better contain the blaze.
“It was determined when we were receiving outflow winds from the thunderstorm that passed over the fire, and it pushed and increased the acreage to such a large amount in every direction that with the instability and the possibility of outflows happening again, they just wanted to take that precaution and make sure everybody was off the hill,” Chavez said.
Chavez said the firefighters plan to use natural features like deadwood to contain the blaze and prevent damage to buildings and homes in the area.
