Brush fire in North Phoenix prompted freeway closure

Freeway closed during the afternoon in North Phoenix due to brush fire

Fire officials say the brush fire burned 40 acres of land before it was fully contained.

PHOENIX - A brush fire swept through part of North Phoenix during the afternoon of June 4, prompting the closure of a part of a freeway for a couple hours.

The fire has since been contained, but we have learned that 40 acres were charred before containment.

Smoke can be seen rising right off State Route 51 at around 2:00 p.m., as the fire started to burn. Meanwhile, crews from several neighboring departments spent much of the day battling the flames.

"When they arrived on scene, they did find a working brush fire and were able to contain the fire to this area," said Phoenix Fire Captain Kenny Overton.

Crews encountered difficulties

While containing the fire did not take too long, getting access to it proved to be difficult.

Crews had to access it from multiple points, and at one point had to shut down the Arizona 51 to the eastbound 101 interchange," said Cpt. Overton.

Fire officials say the brush fire was not close enough to any homes or businesses to cause any damage.

"Usually, the concern with this is that the fire gets out of control, runs through the dry brush and vegetation, but the crews were able to stop it before it got to any structures," said Cpt. Overton.

No one was affected by this fire, but Cpt. Overton says crews will continue to monitor the area to make sure there are no hot spots.

Fire crews getting more brush fire calls

Now that summer has begun, Cpt. Overton says the fire department is getting more and more brush fire calls. He is urging people to be both cautious and prepared.

"It's only gonna get hotter, so with brush season right around the corner, we encourage everyone to make sure you have a good, defensible space around your home to give you some area of protection if there is a brush fire in your area," said Cpt. Overton.