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Bighorn Fire north of Tucson swells to 1,700 with no containment

by Alana Minkler, Arizona Republic (Phoenix) |

A lightning-caused wildfire in Arizona's Santa Catalina Mountains and the Pusch Ridge Wilderness reached 1,700 acres with no containment as of Sunday night.

Fire officials said 175 firefighters were assigned to the wildfire, which sparked Friday night by lighting. The blaze was headed northeastward late Sunday.

No structures are in danger. However, fire officials did express concerns about conditions that could make suppression efforts more difficult, specifically the low relative humidity and high winds forecasted for Monday morning.

To add to the situation, competition for resources has added to the concern because of the nearby Tortolita Fire, which burned through 3,500-acres north of Oro Valley Sunday.

The Coronado National Forest’s Type 3 Incident Management Team was assigned to lead the fire-suppression efforts.