Evacuation order issued for Pinal County neighborhood due to Flood Fire

Authorities issued evacuations orders early Thursday for an area near the Flood Fire in rural Arizona. The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office put the Panther Butte neighborhood in the GO status of the state’s emergency alert system around 2:30 a.m. The Flood Fire is burning in southern Pinal County near Palo Verde Ranch and Chief Butte roads. Panther Butte is located between Florence and the Tucson area, about 3 miles northwest of Oracle Junction off State Route 79. High winds were pushing the wildfire northwest through dry grass and brush, according to the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management. Four engines and two hand crews were ordered to battle the Flood Fire on Wednesday night, when the incident footprint was estimated at about 500 acres. Additional resources were on order for Thursday.
KTAR-FM 92.3 Glendale

Scottsdale firefighters rescue dog from pipe

VIDEO: Firefighters in Scottsdale made an intense rescue on Tuesday night, saving a dog who had gotten stuck inside a pipe! The rescue happened at an under-construction home in a north Scottsdale neighborhood near Pima Road and Hualapai Drive. A dog named Bella had fallen into a heating/cooling tube that was just 12-14 inches wide. Bella’s owner Steve said he and his wife could not find Bella on the property, but when his wife went inside, she heard a whimpering sound. They did some further searching and found her in the pipe that goes underneath the home. “Ultimately, she shimmied her way into the middle part of the house, probably about another 25 feet into the main part of the house,” Steve said. They could not reach Bella, so they called for help.
KOLD-TV CBS 13 Tucson

Dozens of students evacuated from burning school bus in San Luis

PHOTOS: Dozens of students had to be evacuated from a school bus in western Arizona after it caught fire, according to authorities. The San Luis Police Department said a bus from Gadsden Elementary School District was near City Hall when it started to burn Wednesday afternoon. Police said crews from the city's fire department extinguished the fire. "All 32 students have been accounted for and no students were injured," police said in a post to social media. The students were taken to Ed Pastor Elementary School to await pickup by their parents and guardians. Police are asking people to avoid the area where the fire occurred. A cause for the fire has not been determined.
KPNX-TV NBC 12 Mesa

Tucson structure fire temporarily shuts down Speedway Boulevard

Speedway Boulevard was closed in both directions between Swan Road and Santa Rosa Avenue late Wednesday morning due to a structure fire at a business in the 4900 block, according to Tucson Fire Department. TFD spokespeople shared that the first unit responded at 11:06 a.m., and that the fire was under control by 11:30 a.m. Speedway was closed in both directions during the incident to accommodate the water supply. TFD says westbound Speedway between Swan and Santa Rosa has reopened as of about 12:30 p.m. The cause of the fire is under investigation, according to TFD.
KGUN-TV ABC 9 Tucson

Forty young students visit Fort Huachuca Fire Department for National Fire Prevention Week

VIDEO: Firefighters at Fort Huachuca Fire Department say National Fire Prevention Week is one of their favorite weeks this year because they can connect with the community. “It's about the firemen, getting into the community and getting to know our neighbors,” said Garrison Commander, Col. Mike Childs. On Tuesday, 40 kindergartners from Colonel Johnston Elementary visited Fort Huachuca Fire Department's Fire Station No. 2. Captain Jason Bryan and other firefighters taught the kids what to do in case of a fire and what it's like being a firefighter. “I think it's important to inspire that generation through showing them what we do and how we do things,” he said. The kids learned about fire safety, including the importance of smoke detectors, which is this year's theme for National Fire Prevention Week.
KGUN-TV ABC 9 Tucson

New sawmill opens outside of Flagstaff to help prevent wildfires

VIDEO: The largest sawmill in the Southwest officially opened Tuesday just outside of Flagstaff. It will help Coconino County on its mission of forest restoration to prevent major wildfires. Since 2010, wildfires have burned over a quarter million acres in Coconino County. Coconino County Flood Control District community relations manager Sean Golightly said the county takes wildfires and their consequences very seriously. “Wildfire and post-wildfire flooding are the two biggest public safety threats in Coconino County,” Golightly said. Both the county and the U.S. Forest Service have spent tens of millions of dollars on forest restoration, such as prescribed burns and thinning, which can be very expensive by itself. Forest Restoration director Jay Smith in Coconino County Public Works said that without a mill, it can end up costing the county more to do nothing with the wood.
KTVK-TV CBS 3 & KPHO-TV CBS 5 Phoenix (AZ Family)

Plane crashes into homes in Marana, no injuries reported

VIDEO/PHOTOS: A small plane crashed into a Marana neighborhood early Tuesday morning but there were no reported injuries, according to authorities. It happened just before 8 a.m. in a neighborhood just south of Rillito, which is near Avra Valley Road. The plane hit at least two structures and there was debris found all over the area. The single-seat aircraft ended up wedged between two homes but was removed by 2 p.m. 13 News was there and you can see photos of the removal below. The Piper Pawnee Brave scraped across the roofs of the two homes before crashing in a nearby backyard. An FAA inspector said the plane was crop dusting before the accident. The cause of the crash is under investigation.
KOLD-TV CBS 13 Tucson