June Dolder (left) and Barbara Johnson display a sign at Dolder’s barbershop in Mayer to show their appreciation for firefighters battling the Goodwin Fire.
State Route 69, a link in the most popular route between Phoenix and Prescott, has reopened in time for the 4th of July weekend.
The highway was fully accessible between Interstate 17 and State Route 169 in Prescott Valley as of Friday morning, but signs along the roadway warn motorists of the potential for low visibility due to smoke from the Goodwin Fire.
The blaze, which had forced an estimated 7,500 people from homes and campsites, has burned more than 25,300 acres and is about 43 percent contained, according to officials managing the firefight.
Authorities said “four or five” structures had burned in the Mayer area, but resisted saying more because they had not had an opportunity to get a full evaluation of the damage.
The Goodwin Fire, which started Saturday in the Bradshaw Mountains, appeared to have been human-caused, although not intentionally, according to State Forester Jeff Whitney. The U.S. Forest Service is investigating.
Residents of Mayer were allowed to return to their homes Thursday.
A mandatory evacuation order remained in place Friday for the communities of Pine Flat, Breezy Pines, Chauncey Ranch Road, Mt. Union, Walker, Upper Blue Hills, Potato Patch, Dewey west of State Route 69, Chaparral Hills and Mountain Pine Acres.