Santa Rita fire grows to 600 acres

About 120 fire fighters toiled Friday to control a lightning-caused blaze that burned over 600 acres in the Santa Rita Mountains east of Tubac.

The fire started Wednesday after a lightning storm raked he western slopes of the mountain range.

No one has been injured and no structures were threatened on the Forest Service land. There are two or three pockets of private land in the area, but there are no buildings there either.

Forest Service spokesperson Hiedi Schewel said Friday the fire was 25 percent contained.

There were three large air tankers, a large helicopter tanker, two single-engine tanker planes, two smaller helicopters and an air attack plane used in the fight. The air attack plane served as an observation post.

The tankers dropped rusty red fire retardant slurry in the fire’s path to create a fire break.

Fortunately winds were slight.

The fire fighters were also hampered by afternoon temperatures of about 100 degrees.

jlamb@gvnews.com