Walnut Fire 100% contained at 10,667 acres

TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — 6/29/21

As of Tuesday evening, the Walnut Fire is 100% contained at 10,667 acres. Fire officials will continue to monitor status.

6/28/21

As of Monday afternoon, the fire was 63 percent contained and had grown to 10,667 acres.

The fire's growth has slowed dramatically. There were 96 crewmembers assigned to the blaze. Resources were set to be redirected toward other wildfires in the region.

The Albuquerque Zone Type 3 Incident Management Team was set to transition command of the blaze back to the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management Tuesday.

6/27/2021

As of Sunday morning, Walnut Fire is 10,650 acres and is 56% contained, according to fire officials. The chance for fire growth has decreased.

6/26/2021

As of Saturday afternoon, the Walnut Fire is 10,081 acres and 33% contained. With 179 fire personnel working to contain the fire, the behavior is active and majority of that is within the interior, according to the Department of Forestry and Fire Management. The fire is producing smoke, which is likely to be seen from the interstate, Willcox and Benson.

6/25/2021

9:40 a.m.

The Walnut fire is now 19% contained, according to AZ State Forestry. More than 9,700 acres have burned.

6/24/2021

11:04 a.m.

Storms moving across southern Arizona Wednesday evening greatly benefited crews battling the Walnut Fire, the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management said Thursday. Crews are now checking for growth around the perimeter and mopping up hot spots. The size of the fire remains at 8,572 acres, though it's still listed as "no containment."

6/23/2021

12:05 p.m.

10:20 a.m.

According to Arizona Forestry, the blaze grew to 8,572 acres.

Structure protection crews built protection lines around houses and the Amerind Museum.

On Wednesday, firefighters planned to focus on structure protection, securing the line along the interstate and scouting and working on backup plans.

Evacuations were in place for Dragoon Road, East Dragoon Road, North Amerind Road, and Triangle T Road.

Shelter for large and small animals was available at the J7 Equestrian Center, 3036 W. Williams Road in Benson. Call Samantha at (520) 591-9950 for more information. Additional housing for large animals is available in St. David. Call Ginger at (520) 271-8206 for more information.

7:27 a.m.

According to the Red Cross, the Benson High School evacuation center, 360 S. Patagonia St., reopened Tuesday morning for Walnut Fire evacuees.

7:22 a.m.

According to the Cochise County Sheriff's Office, the fire has grown to 7,846 acres and is still at 0 percent containment. 118 crewmembers are assigned to the fire.

I-10 remains open, but visibility is affected. "Go Status" evacuation orders remain in place.

5:45 a.m.

An evacuation and cooling center at Benson High School is on standby. The emergency number is posted on the door: (800) 842-7349. Red Cross volunteers are ready to re-open the center if needed.

6/22/2021

6:30 p.m.

ADOT has partially reopened I-10 near Willcox. They said both Eastbound lanes have reopened at milepost 321 and the left Westbound lane of the highway is reopened at milepost 331. All lanes were closed earlier in the day.

5:20 p.m.

The Southern Arizona chapter of the Red Cross is working to open a cooling center at Benson High school.

3:30 p.m.

A 'GO" evacuation notice was issued Tuesday afternoon for Dragoon Rd, East Dragoon Rd, North Amerind Rd., and Triangle T Rds.

A pre-evacuation "SET" status has been issued for these areas:

2:15 p.m.

The Walnut Fire burning northeast of Benson has caused Interstate 10 to close in both directions.

In a description of the wildfire on Inciweb, accurate mapping says it is now 6,800 acres in size with no containment.

Westbound lanes are closed near N. Johnson Road at milepost 323. Eastbound lanes are closed near East Dragoon Road at milepost 321. The Texas Canyon Rest Area was also closed.