Goodwin Fire Explodes To More Than 18,000 Acres; One Percent Contained

The Goodwin Fire exploded Tuesday afternoon, growing to more than 18,000 acres by 4:00 p.m. after having started the day at 4,400 acres. Fire officials say the fire is only one percent contained, down from five percent earlier in the day.

The growth of the fire forced a town hall meeting to be me moved after mandatory evacuations were ordered for everything west of Main Street in Mayer.

More than 500 fire personnel are on scene as the fire yesterday showed signs of erratic and unsafe behavior, according to the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management.

The fire, which was only five percent contained on Tuesday morning, started on Saturday about 14 miles south of Prescott.

There have been no reported injuries.

Active fire behavior has resulted in very rapid fire growth to the northeast.

Highway 69 was closed due to smoke and visibility at mid-afternoon between I-17 and Highway169.

Later in the afternoon the fire had put several spots across State Highway 69.

Fixed wing aircraft and helicopters have been working all day to assist firefighting efforts.

Coordinated efforts are being made to evacuate communities and focus on opportunities for structure protection in the evacuation areas.

Officials say that residents are being encouraged to evacuate if they are under an evacuation order for their safety and that of the firefighters. (Subscribe to local news alerts on Patch).

The cause is still under investigation.

Fire crews are working on establishing fire lines using roads and natural features to slow the fire's progression while also assessing the feasibility of protecting structures and private property in the communities of Pine Flat and Breezy Pines.

Evacuations are also in effect for the Breezy Pines subdivision as well as for the area north of the Goodwin-Mayer Road/County Road 177, and west of Highway 69, from Mayer to Poland Junction. This does not include areas east of Highway 69.

The evacuation for the community of Pine Flat is still in place. For additional information please call the Yavapai County Emergency Operation Center at (928) 442-5103, 7am – 7pm.

Pre-evacuation orders are in place for the communities of Walker, Potato Patch, Mountain Pines Acres, and Mount Union.

Arizona Department of Transportation has closed SR 69 between I-17 and SR 169.

Officials say the fire is burning in chaparral and ponderosa pine south and west of the junction at Senator Highway and County Road 177.

They say it is being fueled by high temperatures; low humidity; high winds, dense, dry, and thick vegetation; and steep, and rugged terrain.

Winds pushing the fire through dense growth two miles to the east towards Brady Butte forced firefighters to stand back from suppression efforts for about two hours.

When conditions allowed, firefighters resumed community protection efforts in Pine Flat and implemented back-burning operations along Senator Highway.

Tuesday evening, the crews performed back-burning operations along County 177 east of Pine Flat and continue efforts to protect values potentially impacted by the fire.

Firefighters have been told by officials that "Nothing is worth you getting hurt."

Photo courtesy Shalyn Currie

Photo courtesy Arizona Department of Forestry