Sawmill Fire in southern Arizona now estimated at over 40,000 acres
GREEN VALLEY, Ariz. (AP) - Cochise County authorities are keeping an eye on a wildfire and keeping keep pre-evacuation notices in place through the weekend for hundreds of dwellings in rural areas west of Benson.
Sheriff's spokeswoman Carol Capas says most of the fire has been in eastern Pima County but that it has burned eastward about a half-mile into Cochise County.
Fire management officials say reduced winds Wednesday is expected to help the firefighting effort as ground crews connect and bolster containment lines around the fire's perimeter.
The fire has burned 62.5 square miles (161.9 sq. kilometers) of grass, brush and trees since starting Sunday about 10 miles southeast of Green Valley. Officials say there was no lightning so the fire was human-caused and that U.S. Forest Service law enforcement personnel are investigating the specific cause.
Sawmill Fire Updates: inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/article/5164/35103