TUCSON, AZ — The Bighorn Fire is now forcing authorities to issue an evacuation notice for residents of the Mt. Lemmon area.
As of Wednesday night, the fire is 23,892 acres and 40 percent contained.
The general boundaries of the evacuation zone are Mt. Lemmon/Mt. Bigelow north of Organization Ridge Rd, including Summerhaven.
The Pima County Sheriff's Department issued the order earlier this week. Deputies will be going door-to-door on the mountain, urging residents to move south on the Catalina Highway to safely leave the mountain.
The community of Oracle was placed on "Set- Be Alert" status Wednesday evening.
During a briefing Tuesday night, Pima County Sheriff Mark Napier said there are 380 residents on Mt. Lemmon. He added 150 are full time residents. Sheriff Napier said all but six residents chose to evacuate.
"We were able to retrieve a few things out of the cabin that were important to us- things that weren't replaceable," said Wendy Carlson, a Scottsdale resident who owns a cabin on Mt. Lemmon.
"It's really, really heartbreaking. I know that a lot of people will look at a place like a summer cabin as something not as valuable as your primary residence, but this is a place that my dad built. He built our first cabin in 1978," Carlson added.
Residents in the area should call 351-3473 if they have any questions, PCSD said.
