UPDATE 6:30 a.m. 05/08:
The Stronghold fire is now 100% percent contained, according to the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management. Firefighters were able to stop it at 2,138 acres.
AZDFFM says the fire has been placed in monitor status.
UPDATE 9:00 p.m. 05/02:
As of Friday morning, the Stronghold Fire near Dragoon remained at 62% contained. According to a release from the Department of Forestry and Fire Management, crews will work on the west side of the fire.
The Cochise County Sheriff's Office lifted the 'Set' status for the areas south of Ironwood Road and west of Cochise Stronghold Road. Residents are still in the 'Ready' status.
UPDATE 4:45 p.m. 05/01:
Containment of the Stronghold Fire near Dragoon increased to 62% Thursday.
The size of the fire has not grown in 48 hours and remains at 2,138 acres.
UPDATE 7:45 p.m. 04/30:
The Stronghold Fire is now 54% contained, despite the wind and in some areas, steep and difficult terrain, according to the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management.
The fire has not grown over the last 24 hours and remains at 2,138 acres.
KGUN 9's Craig Smith shows how crews are preparing for the stronger winds ahead and meteorologist Cuyler Diggs takes a deeper dive into wind speeds around the fire:
UPDATE 10 a.m. 04/30:
The latest news release from the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management says the Stronghold Fire is burning at 2,138 acres, with no new growth overnight. The fire remains at 22% contained along the north/northeast side.
The eastern flank is the most active area of the fire, the news release said. Crews will be fighting the fire's edge on several sides, including on the southeast side, and the south side of the fire where resources are working to establish a contingency line.
Hotshot crews will be fighting the blaze within the Dragoons on the southwest side, working in tandem with aviation resources.
Approximately 240 fire personnel are assigned to the fire. Some hand crews and engines are conducting point production around nearby home and infrastructure within the fire's perimeter, the news release said.
Watch an update from KGUN 9's Blake Phillips Wednesday morning:
UPDATE 10:00 p.m. 04/29:
A representative from The Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management says the 22 percent containment is on the Northeast side of the fire near Cochise Stronghold Rd. and Ironwood Rd.
Public Information Officer Tiffany Davila says that's because of the terrain. The more difficult site to battle is on the fire's Southwest side.
“The Southwest side of the fire is pretty gnarly territory," she said. "To just kind of give you an idea of how inaccessible it is, we have to sling their food and supplies in tomorrow by helicopter.”
The Southwest side of the fire is up in the Dragoon mountains where crew on foot and battling flames along the edge of the fire.
Those crews are called "hotshots." They're trained to fight fires in the more difficult-to-reach locations that machinery can't reach.
“They’ll stay out there they’ll sleep out there," Davila. "They’ll wake up in the morning. We eat their breakfast once you get slung in from the helicopter and they’ll just hike up and start their work again.”
Fire crews came from across Arizona, bringing around 240 crewmembers to the front lines of the Stronghold fire.
Neighbors living by the fire like Katherine Brown say that seeing these crew work together to save their backyards was emotional for her.
“I even saw one of the hotshots from Globe," she recalled "That brought tears. These people are risking their lives for this.”
As the battle towards containment continues, those like Brown are staying alert and monitoring evacuation notices.
Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management says the assorment of crews are working as fast as they can to get people back in their homes.
UPDATE 7:50 p.m. 04/29:
The Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management tells KGUN 9 the Stronghold Fire is likely human caused.
According to Arizona Forestry, they were led to believe this because there was no lightning in the area at the time the fire started.
Arizona Forestry says they are still investigating the cause.
UPDATE 6:40 p.m. 04/29:
The Stronghold Fire is currently at 22% containment, according to the Department of Forestry and Fire Management.
KGUN 9's Cochise County reporter Alexis Ramanjulu shares information on resources available to residents living in fire-prone areas:
Cuyler Diggs takes a look at the conditions on day two of the Stronghold Fire:
UPDATE 12:00 p.m. 04/29:
After aerial mapping this morning, fire officials are able to provide a more precise measurement of the burned area at 2,300 acres.
The Cochise County Office of Emergency Management and Cochise County Sheriff's Office have issued a 'SET' evacuation notice for people north of Middle March Road and south of West Eastland Street. A 'READY' notice is also in place for residents east of Desert Road, west of North Willcox Road, north of Middle March Road and south of West Eastland Street. Previous evacuation statuses continue to remain in place
UPDATE 9 a.m. 04/29:
According to a social media post from the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management, the fire remained active through 1 a.m. when cooler temperatures and relative humidity helped moderate fire activity.
Activity picked up again on the west and northwest flanks of the fire Tuesday morning, and the fire is now estimated at 3,000 acres, the post said.
Operations expect activity to increase throughout the day as temperatures rise and the wind picks up, the post said.
The west flank of the fire is hung up within steep, rugged and inaccessible terrain within the Dragoons, the post said. The fire is still holding along Cochise-Stronghold Road on the east flank and Ironwood Road on the north.
Watch the latest live update in our 11 a.m. newscast:
UPDATE 11 P.M.
Officials from the Cochise County Sheriff’s Office said homes west of Cochise Stronghold and south of Ironwood Roads in Sunsites are in the go status. That means people living in the area need to evacuate. People living in the Sunsites-Pearce area are in the set and go stages of evacuation including to the Stronghold area campgrounds and trailheads.
They said crews are working to protect nearby buildings, homes, and the fire jumped a local road so they’re working on putting that out. They said one outbuilding was destroyed.
The fire pushed into the Dragoons and the Coronado National Forest on the east and south sides.
Tanya Bok lives in the area and she had to evacuate. She said there has been two other major fires like this since she moved to the area five years ago.
“It is always in the back of our minds and especially with this incredibly dry year. I hike up to those big domes almost every weekend and the fuel load in there and the amount of dead trees from this drought is unbelievable,” Bok said.
The Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management said they have four of their own crews working on putting the fire out and also have state and federal resources. They said additional resources including the Globe Hotshots have been ordered.
Update 7:15 p.m.:
In the video above, Cuyler Diggs takes a look at the strong winds that are contributing to the rapid spread of the Stronghold Fire in Cochise County Monday.
UPDATE 5:55 p.m.:
The Stronghold Fire has grown to 2,000 acres, according to an update from WildCAD, a computer-aided dispatch for agencies fighting wildfires.
KGUN 9 will provide updates from Andrew Christiansen, our reporter on scene, throughout the evening as crews continue to work the fire:
UPDATE 4:09 p.m.:
Arizona Forestry confirms the Stronghold Fire is burning about 750 acres. They say it's being driven by winds through grass, brush, and oak.
Arizona Forestry says wind shifting directions is challenging resources, confirming the fire is pushing to the northeast.
The fire is holding by Ironwood Road and Cochise Road to the east, per Arizona Forestry.
About 100 personnel are responding to the incident, and aircraft are working on the south side of the fire.
Various areas within Sunsites and Pearce are in SET or GO status.
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UPDATE 2:39 p.m.:
The Stronghold Fire is pushing to the northeast, driven by winds and fuel, according to Arizona Forestry.
In an email to KGUN 9, Arizona Forestry states, "Fire jumped a local road. Crews working to protect nearby structures and trying to tie in the fire off local roads."
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UPDATE 1:59 p.m.:
The Stronghold Fire has jumped from 70 to 283 acres, moving southeast and remains very active, according to the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management.
Arizona Forestry says additional resources have been ordered, including two large air tankers, two single-engine air tankers, four engines, the Globe Hotshots, and overhead.
Currently, four Arizona Forestry crews remain assigned along with state, federal and local engines.
Per the Cochise County Sheriff's Office: GO for homes west of Cochise Stronghold and south of Ironwood Roads in Sunsites.
If residents need assistance with evacuating large animals, call SEACOM and CCSO Ranch Patrol.
All evacuation information will come from the Cochise County Sheriff's Department.
The fire is located about 16 miles south of Cochise.
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ORIGINAL STORY:
The Cochise County Sheriff's Department set an evacuation order for Cochise Stronghold and Ironwood Roads due to a brush fire.
CCSO encourages those who live in the area to leave immediately.
They say to take your go bag with important paperwork, medications, and pets with their pet needs if it applies to you.
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