Small Fires Light Mountain: Lightning Sparks Blazes As City Gets High Winds, a Touch of Rain
By Alexis Huicochea and Dale Quinn, The Arizona Daily Star, Tucson
Jul. 7–High winds and scattered storms created problems across the Tucson area Friday afternoon, including two lightning-caused fires on Mount Lemmon.
The fires, on hilltops east of the Molino Basin campground, had burned a combined 20 to 25 acres late Friday, said Heidi Schewel, a spokeswoman for the Coronado National Forest.
Three fire crews, four fire engines, two single-engine tankers and a helicopter were used to fight the blazes, she said.
The Mount Lemmon Highway, which was closed at the base to everyone except residents, was reopened Friday night. The Molino Basin campground is closed for the summer.
Lightning also started a one-acre fire in the Rincon Mountains east of Tucson. That fire is being monitored, Schewel said.
Tucson Electric Power crews were busy across the metro area, trying to restore power to about 400 customers and also repairing downed lines and broken power poles, officials said.
Lightning struck a large tree, causing a branch to fall and bring down power lines on the South Side, at a home on Sawtelle Avenue near South Country Club Road and East 36th Street, said Joe Barrios, a TEP spokesman. That left about a dozen customers without power.
The Tucson Fire Department reported power poles and lines down on the East Side near East Broadway and Kolb Road. TFD said the same thing occurred in the area of North Alvernon Way and East Grant Road.
No injuries were reported in connection with those two incidents, said Assistant Chief Randy Ogden, a Fire Department spokesman.
Only a trace of rain was recorded at Tucson International Airport Friday. The area with the most rainfall was the East Side, where a quarter of an inch was recorded at the Pantano Wash and South Houghton Road, according to the National Weather Service.
Stormy weather is expected to continue through the weekend, with highs in the triple digits and lows in the high 70s.
Major threats could include lightning, isolated microburst wind gusts of up to 60 mph and areas of blowing dust.
Still, the storms might not bring enough moisture to start the monsoon this weekend, said Tom Evans, a National Weather Service meteorologist.
The mountain areas are expected to get the most thunderstorm activity, while high winds are expected throughout the area, Evans said.
The likelihood of rain and lightning will dwindle into the beginning of next week, Evans said.
To see if the Mount Lemmon Highway has reopened, call 547-7510.
–Contact reporters Alexis Huicochea and Dale Quinn at 629-9412 or ahuicochea@azstarnet.com and dquinn@azstarnet.com.
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