Corrections & Clarifications: An earlier version of the story incorrectly reported the lanes impacted by the fire. 

A brush fire near Sunset Point north of the Phoenix area burned at least 25 acres Saturday afternoon, restricting southbound Interstate 17 traffic to one lane for several hours.

As of 7 p.m. Saturday, all lanes were re-opened but the Arizona Department of Transportation was still reporting a 15-mile backup on I-17 southbound from Bumble Bee Road to north of Cordes Junction.

The blaze, which officials are calling the Poison Creek Fire, broke out at about 12:45 p.m., said Dave Wilson, a battalion chief with the Daisy Mountain Fire Department.

As of 3:45 p.m., it had consumed somewhere between 25 and 30 acres. 

“It’s burning in the median,” said Wilson. “(But) it’s not really a median because there’s at least a mile between the north and southbound lanes.”

Because of where the blaze is located, Wilson said, one southbound lane was shut down for several hours. 

The department advised those not already caught in the backup to take alternative routes, such as State Route 260 and State Route 87 through Camp Verde and Payson.

A crew of about 40 firefighters were able to contain the flames to an area between mile marker 248, just before the Bumble Bee exit, and Sunset Point. 

Read or Share this story: http://azc.cc/2x7b9Fl