Independence day fire burns 100 acres
13 On Your Side's Vanessa Gongora spoke with the Bureau of Land Management about the current conditions
UPDATE (7/6): Bureau of Land Management Arizona said there is no new growth on the fire. There was some smoke on the interior of the fire Thursday but firefighters have been monitoring the area.
YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - The brush fire that sparked on Independence Day just east of the Yuma Territorial Prison has so far burned about 100 acres.
According to Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) Spokesperson Dolores Garcia, it is not known if the fire was started by fireworks but they are investigating the cause.
“We do know that we haven’t had any natural sources of ignition like lightning and so at that point we are directed to look at the human factors involved,” said Garcia.
The fire started around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday night and it may take some time for the flames to be put out completely.
"What's burning in that area is the dense and dry vegetation along the river so it may look green but it is very dry for this time of year and it catches fire very quickly and it burns hot for quite a long time," described Garcia.
Firefighters did stop the fire from progressing but BLM said it's still 0% contained.
"We won't get 100% containment until we're absolutely sure that that doesn't have the chance of reigniting some of the interior vegetation," said Garcia.
BLM is assisting the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management with more resources as well.
No injuries have been reported though the weather is a concern for our first responders.
"They are prone to getting heat illness, especially with how hot it is there. Not only are they work in 100 plus, 110-degree heat, they're also working near a wildfire in a very active situation," explained Garcia.
Garcia said to be aware because it only takes one spark to start a wildfire.
We can all do our part in preventing wildfires.
You can find the BLM-managed lands fire restrictions here and stay up to date on fires in your area here.
