The Spring Fire has now burned more than 4,000 acres near Sunflower, according to Tonto National Forest officials.
The fire began Saturday at State Route 87 and Forest Service Road 11. As of Sunday afternoon, the fire is 0% contained. Officials said that the fire “grew significantly to the north and northeast into rugged inaccessible terrain overnight.” Sunflower is about an hour northwest of Phoenix.
The Arizona Department of Transportation opened one northbound lane on S.R. 87 to traffic Saturday night at around 7:45 p.m. The right lane north of Bush Highway remained blocked on Sunday.
Flight and drone restrictions have also been placed over the area to allow room for aerial wildfire suppression operations, established in a public service announcement from Tonto National Forest officials.
Officials said efforts to secure and prevent fire lines escaping will continue through Sunday. Firefighters will be securing the area and “mopping up,” a process in which firefighters extinguish and remove any burning material surrounding control lines.
Officials identified the cause of the fire to be human. No other details were given.
More information and updates on road closures in this area can be found at https://az511.gov/.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Over 4,000 acres burned from Spring Fire north of Phoenix
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