‘Ranch Fire’ in San Rafael Valley at 900 Acres
By Marion Vendituoli
The Ranch Fire is burning through grassland and brush on the western side of the San Rafael Valley 19 miles southeast of Patagonia.
The fire, which started on the San Antonio Ranch near Lochiel, grew from 30 acres this morning to 900 acres at 1:30pm as it moved south/southeast across the San Rafael Valley, south/southwest of the San Rafael State Natural Area in Santa Cruz County. As of 3:30pm there had been no containment to report.
The fire is under the management of the Coronado National Forest, as the fire has moved onto the Coronado National Forest, and the incident has increased in complexity to a Type 3, according to a Facebook post by the Arizona Dept. of Forestry and Management.
Four large air tankers, along with a state hand crew and local firefighters are working to contain the blaze. Patagonia Volunteer Fire & Rescue (PVFR) has a tender and two staff at the incident. PVFR Chief Zay Hartigan told the PRT that the fire has been stopped but it is not contained as of 5pm. SEFD personnel are not at the fire, according to SEFD Chief Marc Meredith.
Residents in the Mowry area have been put on standby notice to evacuate.
The PRT will update our website and Facebook page as we have more information.