UPDATE: Prison hill fire reported over the weekend contained
UPDATE ( 10:00 A.M.)
On Sunday May 20, the Yuma Fire Department responded to a brush fire at approximately 11 a.m. that was reported near Riverside park, east of the Territorial Prison.
The area was in soft dirt with heavy brush, and a YFD Utility Terrain Vehicle (UTV) was used to survey the area and deploy personnel in wildland firefighting gear. The Imperial County Fire Department (ICFD) was notified due to strong winds pushing the fire north toward the river.
By noon, additional firefighting resources from the Bureau of Land Management and other state agencies were requested, with BLM arriving on the scene about 2:00 pm.
Driven by winds, the fire did jump to the north side of the river.
Reports of tubers and others floating down the river were received and efforts were made by YPD to stop individuals from putting into the river and warn those already in the water to get out. A citizen already in the area with a boat provided additional assistance to those already too close to the fire.
At approximately 4 p.m. additional BLM recourses had arrived and firefighting efforts were mostly involving the north side of the river with the use of crews on the ground, firefighting boats and a helicopter from the Prescott area.
By 7 p.m. the fire was dying down, with YFD involvement reduced to a fire-watch on the Arizona side in the event of flare-ups.
As of about 7 a.m. this morning, there was no smoke showing along the river and any further actions were being taken.
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Several agencies, including Yuma Fire Department and Bureau of Land Management, responded to a brush fire east of the Ocean-to-Ocean bridge on Sunday.
According to Mike Erfert with the Yuma Fire Department, agencies responded to the fire just after 12 p.m.
He said the fire is not endangering anything more than the brush along the river.
Moreover, Yuma Fire Department is working alongside several other agencies including Bureau of Land Management, Imperial County, Yuma Police Department and Yuma County Sheriff’s Office.
Erfert said the cause of the fire is still being investigated.
People are encouraged to avoid the area and river near the flames.
