Firefighters battle large wildfire near Yuma
YUMA — Firefighters from several state and federal agencies continued to battle a huge wildfire near Mittry Lake on Sunday, with Bureau of Land Management reporting on the second day that some progress has been made getting it under control.
Burning 15 miles northeast of Yuma, the fire — named the Bermuda Fire — broke out at about 3 a.m. on BLM-managed lands on Saturday and has already scorched an estimated 320-acres, while only 20 percent contained.
Most of the fire has burned through marshy areas, igniting cattails and salt cedar. Salt cedar burns very hot and can remain hot long after the fire appears to be out. Due to the sandy soils in the river corridor, there can be additional fuels burning underneath the surface of the soil.
These fuels covered by sand can create very hot cavities that can collapse, and falling into one of these hidden cavities can lead to serious burn injuries. Fire safety officials are asking the public to maintain a safe distance from the fire for personal safety and to allow fire operations to continue.
Mittry Lake Road is closed beyond Betty’s Kitchen to Laguna Dam Road. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation. Smoke also impacted areas around Yuma Proving Ground overnight.
According to the YPG Fire Department, it monitored the fire throughout the night, and while the blaze never jumped across the canal that separates the area from the installation’s boundary, firefighters were staged near the Travel Camp until early Sunday morning, due to billowing smoke and blowing embers, in case a response was needed.
On Sunday afternoon the YPG Fire Department reported that the fire no longer posed any further concern to the proving ground and that it has not received a request from the BLM for assistance.
Though there are still hot spots producing smoke on BLM-managed lands, the areas that burned Saturday night, the canal, and Imperial Dam Road all serve as firebreaks between populated areas of YPG and the remnants of the fire, which is still a significant distance away.
Even so, the YPG Fire Department, which also put out a brush fire near Martinez Lake on Saturday, will be ready to respond if necessary.
The response to the fire has been a collaborative multi-agency effort, with firefighters from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service, the Buckskin Fire Department and an Arizona State fire crew assisting BLM.
According to the BLM, winds from incoming storms are expected to increase the fire’s activity in the next few days as firefighters continue working to get it under control. No structures were threatened and no evacuations were needed, other than for some campers in the area.