Multiple fires in southern Arizona forcing evacuations, road closures

PHOENIX — Multiple fires in Cochise County in southern Arizona were forcing evacuations and road closures Thursday, authorities said.

The Wildhorse Fire started near Hereford at about 1 p.m., according to the Arizona State Forestry.

Areas south of Three Canyons and east of Highway 92 to Deer Ridge, Wildhorse Area and Andalusian Way Area were quickly put into “GO” status and evacuated.

Here is a look at the #WildhorseFire near Hereford courtesy of @ArizonaDOT traffic camera in Sierra Vista. Near critical fire weather conditions will continue the rest of the afternoon with wind gusts in excess of 30 mph. Follow @azstateforestry for the latest info. #azwx #azfire pic.twitter.com/IR8SV6EYar

— NWS Tucson (@NWSTucson) June 22, 2023

Highway 92 was closed from Ramsey Canyon through Palominas Road with a hard closure at Hereford Road.

All the evacuations and closures were lifted by Friday morning.

The blaze had burned at least 750 acres and was 5% contained Friday morning.

American Red Cross shelters opened at Buena High School, located at 5225 Buena School Blvd., and Village Meadows Baptist Church, located at 1407 S. El Camino Real.

Near Benson, the Post Fire popped up around 2 p.m.

The Whetstone canyons and Highway 90 areas were put into “GO” status at about 3:30 p.m. and the evacuations were lifted around 6 p.m.

The highway was closed in both directions from Interstate 10 to State Route 82. One lane reopened in both directions Friday morning, according to ADOT.

Kartchner Caverns State Park was also closed Thursday but reopened Friday.

The blaze had expanded to 1,200 acres at the last update.

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