Fast-moving fire near Grove 95 triggers large Rural Metro response

A brush fire near Grove 95 on East Madonna Road spread fast enough Thursday night to draw a large Rural Metro response and send crews to protect nearby power lines. The fire started at about half an acre and grew to roughly an acre or more as firefighters arrived around 10 p.m., and no injuries were reported.

Rural Metro first sent one engine, then called for additional resources as flames pushed across dry desert ground on the edge of Yuma County. Welton Fire Chief Mark Rivera said the fire moved quickly once it got going, a pattern that fits the kind of conditions common in the foothills and roadside developments where brush, open lots and utility corridors sit close together.

A wildfire tracking site later labeled the incident the Madonna Fire and estimated about 1 acre burned. The cause remained undetermined. Even without damage to homes reported at the time, the decision to work around power lines showed that the blaze was more than a brush fire in open space. It had the potential to cut into infrastructure serving nearby properties.

The weather setup added to the risk. The National Weather Service had a Red Flag Warning in effect for the Yuma, Martinez Lake and Vicinity, Lower Colorado River Valley area, with southwest winds of 15 to 25 mph and gusts up to 45 mph. Forecasters also called for relative humidity as low as 10 percent and Yuma highs around 108 to 110 degrees, a combination that can turn a small ignition into a fast-moving fire in minutes.

Rural Metro Fire Yuma County says it provides emergency service in unincorporated Yuma County from six stations, giving it the ability to move from a first engine to a larger response when a desert fire starts to spread. The department has also put a new E10 pumper into service and has been expanding into the Foothills neighborhood as growth and demand rise, which makes fires on the county’s fringe more significant for residents who live closest to dry brush and exposed utility lines.

When heat, wind and low humidity line up again, the first line of defense in these neighborhoods is simple: keep brush trimmed, keep access clear for engines and treat any smoke near the desert edge as an immediate fire call.