Sawmill Fire Update: Off-Duty Border Agent Responsible, He Immediately Reported It

TUCSON, AZ — An off-duty Tucson Sector Border Patrol Agent inadvertently started the fire that became the Sawmill Fire, Border Patrol said Thursday. The agent had been involved in recreational shooting when the fire started. He immediately reported what had happened.

Smoke can still be seen south of Tucson, as the over-40,300 acre Sawmill Fire burns through the Coronado National Forest.

As of Thursday evening, the fire is 20-percent contained as crews manage the fireline and conduct burnout operations to create a buffer along Empire Ranch Road, according to the incident command team.

The fire, which began on Sunday south of Green Valley near Madera Canyon, has been ruled "human caused" by investigators.

The Sawmill Fire is still being pushed by high winds burning through grass and brush. Meanwhile, over 600 active personnel and support crew continue to work on containing the Sawmill Fire.

"The fire made runs in dry grass and brush," Incident Commander Bea Day said. To combat the running fire, burnout efforts were initiated by crews on the south end of the fire.

On Thursday, Day and a new incident management team took command in response to the increasing complexity of the fire, the current incident command team reported. Currently, there are 16 crews, 44 engines, four water tenders, five helicopters, and miscellaneous overhead working the fire, and five air tankers available, locally.

An evacuation order remains in place for Rain Valley.

The evacuation center at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds has moved to the Sonoita Bible Church, located at 3174 Arizona Highway 83, Sonoita, Arizona.

A community meeting will be held tonight, Thursday April 27, at 7:00 p.m. at the Community Bible Church (714 S. J-6 Ranch Road, Benson, Arizona)

Fire conditions in the area remain "active to extreme," according to weather reports which call for continued dry weather, low humidity and red flag conditions in the area.

"Winds blew from the south, southwest at 10-15 miles per hour through mid-morning, and increasing to 17-22 miles per hour with gusts to near 35 mph during the late morning through the afternoon hours," Day said.

Thus far, there have been no reports of injuries. As of Thursday, no structures have burned, though homes, ranches and outbuildings, communications facilities and power lines remained at risk, according to authorities.

Though some evacuations were lifted late Tuesday, only evacuations for Rain Valley have currently been ordered, according to Day's morning report.

On Thursday, State Route 83 was reopened. Drivers were warned by the Arizona Department of Transportation to be alert for intermittent road closures for guardrail repair from damage caused by the Sawmill Fire when it jumped the roadway.

Plans for fighting the fire are to continue burnout operations to reinforce and strengthen fire perimeter while continuing structure protection and holding operations.

"We will anchor and flank in some areas where there is still active fire behavior and monitor and secure fire perimeter in less active fire areas," they said.

On Tuesday, Arizona Department of Transportation personnel captured video along SR 83 south of Interstate 10, where the Sawmill Fire continued to burn.

"The fire continues to burn through tall grass, riparian woodland, mesquite/oak brush, oak woodland, and pinyon-juniper fuel types,” said Coronado National Forest spokesperson Heidi Schewel.

On scene, Hot Shot crews are working to contain the Sawmill Fire, including crews from Payson, Globe, Blue Ridge and Prescott, according to a report from Tucson.com.

Evacuations ordered for the communities of Greaterville, Singing Valley and Rain Valley were lifted overnight, though pre-evacuation notices were issued to residents of Hilton Ranch and Mescal J-6.

The evacuation centers are located at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds (3142 Highway 83, Sonoita) and the Southeastern Regional Park Shooting Range (11296 S. Harrison Road, Tucson). These locations will also serve as evacuation centers for livestock and pets.

Due to the increasing complexity of the fire, management will transition to a Type I Incident Management Team on Thursday, April 27.

"The fire was active on the southwest flank today, with additional growth east of Arizona Highway 83," Incident Commander Jeff Andrews said on Wednesday.

The wind-driven fire is burning through grass and brush, and according to an 11 p.m. incident update, burned actively through Tuesday night into Wednesday morning.

A wind advisory remains in effect for the area with gusts up to 45 miles per hour.

High winds returned to the area on Thursday and are expected to remain through Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.

"A full suppression strategy is being employed to protect nearby values at risk including homes, ranches and outbuildings, communications facilities, powerlines, and the Arizona National Scenic Trail," Andrews said.

The Sawmill Fire began on Sunday, April 23. The cause of the fire remains under investigation, though investigators preliminary results are that it was human caused.

For more information on the Sawmill Fire, contact Fire Information at (505) 750-4636.

This is a developing story. Please refresh this page for the latest information.

Colin Miner contributed reporting.

Arizona Department of Forestry Photos