Cellar Fire near Prescott grows to 7,500 acres as firefighters make progress
Jul 21, 2019, 12:03 PM | Updated: Jul 22, 2019, 6:47 am
(Twitter Photo/Thor Seth)
(Twitter Photo/Thor Seth)
PHOENIX — The Cellar Fire grew to 7,500 acres on Sunday, but firefighters are making good progress on the fire blazing south of Prescott.
The Prescott National Forest said in a release Sunday the blaze was 47% contained, a big jump from 18% on Saturday.
Firefighters were holding and securing the perimeter and were beginning suppression repair efforts in the area, the release said.
An evacuation of the Pine Flat community was lifted Saturday almost 48 hours after it was called.
The Yavapai County Sheriff's Office has lifted the evacuation order for Pine Flat. Residents may re-enter after 6 PM. Citizens can contact the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office with information or questions at 928-771-3260 or the YCSO website: https://t.co/2TMDOUiNbM pic.twitter.com/Yg0swANyMN
— Prescott NF (@PrescottNF) July 21, 2019
The Cellar Fire was burning 7,418 acres with 18% containment as of Saturday afternoon, according to an update from InciWeb.
On Friday, it grew to nearly 7,300 acres.
The fire started last Sunday because of a lightning strike.
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It has closed parts of Forest Road 52 and County Road 177 near Pine Flat, the national forest said.
A Type 1 Incident Management Team took over fire relief efforts on Thursday, the national forest said.
There are currently 661 personnel fighting the fire, including eight hot shot crews.
A community meeting about the fire was at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
The communities of Crown King, Groom Creek, Indian Creek, Potato Patch, Walker and Wolf Creek remain in “ready” status.
