Island Fire destroys key farming bridge near Cibola

LA PAZ COUNTY, Ariz. (KYMA) - A fire near the Cibola National Wildlife Refuge has destroyed a bridge used by local farmers, adding another challenge for residents in the small community.

Amy Etienne, an alfalfa farmer in Cibola, says her family was forced to evacuate as the Island Fire grew.

They later learned the Hart Mine Bridge had collapsed.

Etienne says the bridge is important for farmers who use it to move tractors, equipment and supplies to and from their farmland.

"That bridge is everything," Etienne said. "That bridge is how we get all of our equipment down to the island unit."

She says they currently have three stacks of hay on the other side of the bridge waiting for a buyer to pick them up, but people are not being allowed to access the area.

The loss of the bridge comes nearly a year after the Oxbow Bridge burned down.

Etienne says losing both bridges leaves residents with fewer ways in and out of Cibola, especially during an emergency.

"When you take two out of the three ways in and out of a town, it really is detrimental," she said.

Etienne hopes local leaders can help get the bridges repaired or rebuilt.

She says the situation is especially concerning for people who live in Cibola full time and rely on those roads to access medical care and other services.