A brush fire shut down State Route 87 north of the Valley for several hours Tuesday, and one lane is still closed as of Wednesday morning.
On Tuesday, the Arizona Department of Public Safety was alerted about an incident involving a semi-truck at milepost 211 (Ballentine Trailhead).
WILDFIRE ALERT: Red Mountain Fire is 10 acres. Ground and air support are on scene. Fire is located off of State Route 87 (N Beeline Highway) near mile post 215. North and south bound traffic is currently closed. https://t.co/Gp3LLzfKfz
— Tonto NF (@TontoForest) May 30, 2023
DPS says a fire sparked in the semi's engine and spread to the median because of high winds. The fire is spreading rapidly, DPS says.
The "Red Mountain" Fire spread to 10 acres before fire crews were able to put out the flames, according to Tonto National Forest.
The northbound lanes reopened Tuesday evening. The left southbound lane has also reopened, but the right lane is expected to remain closed indefinitely as crews work to clean up debris from the fire.
UPDATE: The LEFT southbound lane of SR 87 has reopened at SR 188. https://t.co/loZpuak7Gg
— Arizona DOT (@ArizonaDOT) May 31, 2023
The right lane closure at MP 211 is anticipated to be a lengthy one.