Prescott Valley Fire chars 450-plus acres as crews wrap up

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Prescott Valley Wildland Fire

Remaining wisps of smoke from the now extinguished Prescott Valley Fire were visible from Highway 89A throughout Tuesday, Jan. 22.

The fire began just north of Highway 89A near the Granite Dells Parkway exit shortly before 2 p.m. Monday, Jan. 21.

High winds drove the flames across the dry, grassy plains as firefighters from throughout the Quad-cities quickly responded with type 6 wildland fire engines.

By about 4 p.m., they had the fire under control and were beginning to “button up” the remaining perimeter, authorities said. At about 6:30 p.m., local firefighters were able to pass the remaining mop-up operations off to the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management (DFFM) since most of the open land impacted is state-owned.

State forestry wildland firefighters continued to put out hotspots and monitor the area through the night and into Tuesday. By 2 p.m., they had the fire 95 percent contained with 459 acres burned, said DFFM spokesperson Tiffany Davila.

“We are working toward full containment for today,” Davila said. “There remains some interior heat within the perimeter.” She said the fire’s cause remains undetermined and is under investigation.

No homes or infrastructure were damaged in the fire.

Follow Max Efrein on Twitter @mefrein, email him at mefrein@prescottaz.com or call him at 928-445-3333 ext. 1105.