BISBEE — Approaching flames from a wildfire in the Mule Mountains led to the evacuation of an unknown number of homes along Zacatecas Canyon Road, Tombstone Canyon and High Road in Old Bisbee, displacing approximately 100 people Thursday.

A brush fire moves slowly near Old Bisbee on Thursday evening. The homes were not threatened by the fire at the time. (Ed Honda-Wick News Service)

The fire began as a possible illegal burn at 10:28 a.m. at a residence on the west side at the very end of Moon Canyon, said Bisbee fire Capt. George Castillo.

By Thursday night, it was unknown how large the blaze actually was, but additional resources were being sent to bolster firefighters already on scene as flames licked the hillside.

Early on, Bisbee firefighters were able to protect the half a dozen homes at the end of Moon Canyon that could have ended up as fuel for the fire.

Bisbee firefighters, volunteers from the San Jose Fire Department and Arizona Department of Corrections firefighter crews joined forces to fight the blaze that threatened several homes in the area, Castillo said.

Castillo led his crews Thursday morning from a hillside where he could keep an eye on the firefighters and the spread of the fire.

“I’m getting reports that the fire is moving up the mountainside and may go over the top and down into state wildlands,” Castillo said.

His crews, which included off-duty personnel, were working the hillside behind the homes in an attempt to keep the fire from sweeping back downhill. One firefighter manned a hose and kept the area surrounding one home soaked.

But wind gusts swirled around smoldering debris, breathing new life into hot spots. Small fires kicked up.

The crews struggled to maintain their balance on the steep slopes as they raked back debris.

“They have done a real good job pushing the fire away from these structures,” Castillo said. “This is a very dangerous area. The homes are extremely close to the wildlands.”

Castillo, pointing to a charred pile of wood and debris that lay just inches from the roof of a home built into the hillside surrounded by three other homes, said, “This was very possibly an illegal burn that started this fire. We can see where the fire started. This could have been a disaster. We will investigate to see if he had a burn permit, but I don’t think he does. People have to come to the station to get a burn permit. In wind like this, we wouldn’t issue one.”

People who inadvertently start fires can be fined for carelessness, he said.

“It looks like fire season is upon us even though it’s early this year. We have had a few brush fires already along roadways,” he said.

Up the road, with shovels and rakes over their shoulders, 23 men in turnout gear from the State Land Department were heading up to continue the fight and try to keep the fire that covered around 10 acres from spreading over the hill to the east, which would place several more homes in danger.

“It’s going to be a long day,” Castillo said.

Within hours, the fire had spread from one end of the historic district to the other, and more than 200 firefighters from across Southeastern Arizona had joined with Bisbee firefighters to try to control the blaze and save the hundreds of quaint houses nestled in the hillsides.

Rick Evans, incident commander from the State Lands Department with 35 years of experience in wildfires, was optimistic about the fire, even though resources were stretched since it is so early in the fire season.

Hand crews worked the back side of the blaze, now named the Moon Canyon Fire, and two aircraft hauled water and flame retardant to the ridge lines, trying to keep the flames from spreading downhill to the homes. They craft stayed airborne until it was too dark to fly.

The Bisbee Fire Department and other agencies were spread out in a long line across the ridge that stretched from west to east with charged lines ready to go if the fire crested the ridge again.

In Zacatecas Canyon, homes were sprayed with a special foam to protect them from the fire, Evans said.

“Bisbee is unique in that an inversion layer sets up as the sun goes down,” Evans explained as a line of fire lit up distant ridges. “The air temperature above the mountains cools, but it locks in the heat from the day and pushes the fire back into the canyon. It will run the ridges.”

A command center was established at the Lavender Pit, where firefighters who had been struggling to contain the fire came to rest, eat and rehydrate.

Don’t understand fire danger

In the midst of the chaos as fire crews fought hard to start a back burn and send the creeping flames back over the ridge, three civilians were spotted just feet from where the fire was.

“They don’t understand how dangerous it is,” Evans said. “There’s vegetation that rolls downhill with the wind spreading the fire. It can go in any direction at any second.”

Bisbee police were able to apprehend the men after a steep climb.

Russell McConnell, the city’s public works director, said there was plenty of water in the city’s 3 million-gallon reservoir, and it was there to use for that purpose.

The crews worked throughout the night and into the morning. Evans said he anticipates being on scene for a few days to make sure the fire is contained.

“These guys work 16-hour shifts without batting an eye,” Evans said. “They’re tough.”

Additional forces continued coming in Thursday night, which allowed firefighters who had been at it all day the chance to rest at the command center set up at the Lavender Pit. Many agencies throughout the state sent firefighters to help with the blaze. Those agencies include Tucson Hot Shots, Palominas, Patagonia, Rio Rico, Corona de Tucson, Green Valley, U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Arizona State Land Management, Huachuca City, Naco and Arizona State Forestry Service.

Rob Page, owner of the Convention Center, volunteered the basement of the building as shelter for displaced residents and offered to keep the restaurant open if people needed food and drink.

As of 9 p.m., Evans said the city was safe. However, anticipated winds of 20 to 30 mph were predicted through the night.

“If that happens … we’re stretched pretty thin right now, but we have crews lined up around the homes with water hoses at the ready,” he said.

As Evans sent up another crew, he said, “I think we’ll be all right.”