Freeman Fire southeast of Florence grows to almost 32K acres

As of Sunday morning, the Freeman Fire southeast of Florence and north of Oracle has grown to 31,724 acres with only 5% containment, according to the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management.

Meanwhile the GO status -- or immediate evacuation -- for residents of Willow Springs Ranch has been lifted.

The department stated that along the north side of the fire, crews continued their efforts to secure and hold an established containment line in the area of Willow Springs Ranch and Freeman roads.

“The southwest and west sides of the fire have stayed the most active over the past couple of days,” a department statement continued. “The fire is hung up in rough and rugged terrain and crews must wait until the fire backs down out of the Black Mountains until they can safely engage. However, hand crews continue with suppression efforts along that flank conducting firing operations within a wash as a way to slow the spread of the fire as it moves into flatter terrain.”

Roads within the fire area remain closed to the public and are only accessible to homeowners in the area.

The closed roads are

• Willow Springs Road at State Route 77
• Willow Springs Road at Freeman
• Willow Springs Road at Camino Rio
• Freeman at Barkerville
• Freeman at State Route 79

The fire started July 11 following a lightning strike near the Oak Well Camp. Lightning caused a second fire about a mile away and merged with the first fire.

Winds initially caused the fire to spread, but the weather is now working in the fire crew's favor as cooler temperatures and increased relative humidity levels kept the blaze quiet overnight, the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management release stated.

The Florence Fire Department has not been contacted or activated to fight the blaze at this time, according to a post on the town’s Facebook page.

Due to the wildfire, residents in the Florence area are being asked to be mindful of the air quality. Those with respiratory conditions are advised to limit outdoor activities and stay indoors as much as possible until conditions improve.