TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) - The Latest on a highway closure due to a wildfire near Tucson (all times local):
10:45 a.m.
Firefighters continue to mop up a wildfire in the Coronado National Forest and the Pima County Sheriff’s Department says there’s no word on when the highway up Mount Lemmon outside Tucson will reopen.
The Sheriff’s Department said the highway remained closed Wednesday, a day after it was spotted near the Molino Basin Trailhead and grew to an estimated 50 acres (20.23 hectares).
Forest spokeswoman Heidi Schewel said authorities believe the fire was human-caused because there was no lightning in the area.
According to Schewel, winds were a challenge to firefighters on Tuesday but that conditions overnight were favorable.
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8:50 a.m.
The Forest Service says the highway that leads up Mount Lemmon outside Tucson in southern Arizona remains closed part way up the mountain as firefighters mop up a brush and grass fire.
Coronado National Forest spokeswoman Heidi Schewel says the fire was spotted early Tuesday afternoon and that the latest estimate put its size at approximately 50 acres (20.23 hectares).
The Pima County Sheriff’s Department said the highway closure was from the base to milepost 7.
Schewel said authorities believe the fire was human-caused because there was no lightning in the area.
According to Schewel, winds were a challenge to firefighters on Tuesday but that conditions overnight were favorable.
She said firefighters were taken off fire lines overnight for their safety because of the fire’s location in steep, rugged terrain.
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