A day after the Spur Fire burned through 150 acres and about 20 structures in Bagdad, a small mining town two hours northwest of Phoenix, evacuations were lifted for residents and employees as the blaze was 50% contained by Friday afternoon, officials said.

The fire ignited Thursday afternoon on the northeast side of Bagdad and immediately forced the evacuations of more than 1,000 people and impacted mine operations, according to the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office.

The fire was fueled by dry brush and grass and destroyed 13 homes and 10 secondary structures — a lot for a 150-acre fire, said Tiffany Davila, a spokesperson for the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management.

State Route 96 and 97 closed after the fire sparked and remained closed Friday evening, making it possible for only employees and residents of Bagdad to return to the town, said the sheriff’s office.

The Spur Fire, which may have been ignited by a construction crew and continued north on Friday, was one of a few fires burning just before Memorial Day weekend. 

Bagdad residents wait to re-enter town

According to Yavapai County Sgt. Ross Diskin, evacuations were issued almost immediately on Thursday and started on the east side of Bagdad, north of Main Street.

At first, the fire was centralized in one location and had not yet approached any homes, Diskin said. But by the time the first round of evacuations were complete, the fire had passed over Lindahl Road and fire crews had to evacuate several roads in a short amount of time, he added.

“When I got to Poplar Circuit, the houses were already on fire,” Diskin said. Because that area had not been evacuated yet, “we were running door to door, pounding on doors, trying to get anyone to wake up that might have been sleeping.”

The concern, Diskin said, was that someone inside the home who worked the night shift may have still been asleep when the fire broke out.

“It is so easy to be in one of the houses and not know that there’s a fire and not be able to get out. That was our biggest fear, the loss of life,” he continued. By Friday, authorities had confirmed zero injuries and zero loss of life.

But before evacuation orders were lifted, more than a dozen cars were parked at the state route closure on Thursday and Friday afternoons near Bagdad, which is home to about 1,800 residents.

Bagdad neighbors Barbara Mitchell and Margarita Martinez were among those waiting in the junction into Thursday afternoon after sleeping in their cars Wednesday night at the Santa Maria River, a stream near Bagdad.

Mitchell has lived in Bagdad for about two years, while Martinez has lived there for more than 20 years, they said. Mitchell and Martinez, who both have family in the area, live in homes on Sycamore Drive, which is on the outskirts of Bagdad.

They said they were shocked and worried about their pets, who they left at home while they went to Prescott.

Martinez was also worried about her daughter’s home on Poplar Circuit, which she believed burned in the fire. “I am not too sure if [my daughter’s house] burned to the ground, but I think her house was in the line of fire,” she said.

Her daughter stayed in a Wickenburg hotel after she evacuated, Martinez said.

As of Friday afternoon, everyone who lost their home in the fire had been accounted for, officials said.

Mine operations impacted by fire

In addition to residents, the copper mine owned by Phoenix-based Freeport-McMoRan mining company in Bagdad was also affected by the fire, officials said. The mine sits within the town’s boundaries and its entrances were near the fire.

James Telle, a spokesperson for Freeport-McMoRan, said in an emailed statement that mine operations were halted after the fire started and that a limited crew “was conducting essential functions needed to maintain the various systems for safety and environmental purposes,” at the mine.

According to Diskin, there is a “significant distance” between the mine and where the fire started, and therefore, there was minimal impact. 

The mine also had to divert resources to the fire, according to Diskin. He said water tenders that held approximately 30,000 gallons of water each were brought out of the mine and used on the fire.

Telle said the American Red Cross was helping people displaced by the fire and that Freeport-McMoRan was “taking appropriate measures to provide assistance to those affected.”

Fire crews stopped forward progress Thursday night

Fire crews stopped the fire’s forward progress shortly before 9:30 p.m. Thursday. According to Sheriff’s Office Lt. Kimbriel, the incident was addressed rapidly because the four deputies and one sergeant who live in Bagdad had the ability to work alongside various fire crews, mine employees and trained volunteers.

Williamson Valley Fire District was among one of the first crews to respond to the call, he said.

Power lines were also damaged and several homes were charred and melted due to severe smoke damage. “We don’t know if those houses are going to be livable or not,” Diskin said.

Kimbriel added that “safety and cooperation with the Bagdad Copper Mine and restored utilities were all factors used to determine when people were allowed to come back into town.” Arizona Public Service was at the scene working to fix the power lines destroyed by the fire, Kimbriel said.

Though the cause of the fire is still under investigation, initially it was reported as started by a construction crew on the road. Kimbriel dispelled that as a “rumor.”

The origin could be tied to the back of a sewer plant where a fire sparked last year. That sewer plant isn’t far from where the Spur Fire started, Diskin said.

“The fire basically took a parallel path, similar to the fire from last year. It had all that good dry fuel and just took off,” Diskin said.

Residents of Bagdad were being allowed back into their homes Friday evening, starting with those whose homes were damaged in the fire, Kimbriel said. Spectrum Healthcare planned to offer mental health services to those who lost their home.

“The loss of a home is traumatic, it could cause grief,” Kimbriel explained.

Fire restrictions, Red Flag Warnings, weather watches and tips for preventing wildfires can be found online at the Arizona Department of Fire and Forestry’s website. 

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