Drought is fueling 500-acre Margo Fire
A 500-acre fire is burning in southeastern Arizona and the National Weather Service in Tucson said “extreme to exceptional drought” is fueling the flames.
The Margo Fire is burning in Dudleyville, a small community in Pinal County. As of 9:30 a.m. Friday, the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management said the fire was only 20% contained.
Dudleyville remained in “GO” status Friday morning, meaning people should evacuate, which was put in place at 1:30 p.m. Thursday. About 200 residents have been evacuated and must remain in place due to extreme fire behavior, proximity to involved fuels and exposure to smoke and products of combustion. The department said Friday it also must do damage assessments before utilities can be turned back on.
The Margo Fire had also destroyed 12 primary structures, likely meaning homes, as of 5 p.m. Thursday, according to the Forestry Department. Between 75 and 100 people were fighting the fire.
State Route 77 was also reopened in both directions after closure at milepost 128.
The weather service tweeted around 9 a.m. Friday that its latest model simulation shows considerable near-surface smoke across Graham, Eastern Pinal and southern Greenlee counties.
The smoke is expected to settle into valleys at night, the weather service said.
The forecast will remain dry for the next week, with the occasional breezy winds. “Extreme to exceptional drought” persists across much of the region, and the weather service said the 1-year statewide precipitation ranks as the driest in 126 years.