The 2024 Freeman Fire was a large

wildfire A wildfire, forest fire, or a bushfire is an unplanned and uncontrolled fire in an area of Combustibility and flammability, combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identified as a ...

that rapidly burned across 32,568 acres across

Pinal County Pinal County is a county in the central part of the U.S. state of Arizona. According to the 2020 census, the population of the county was 425,264, making it Arizona's third-most populous county. The county seat is Florence. The county was est ...

, located in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

. It began on July 11 due to a lightning strike, and was declared 100% contained on July 18.

Progression

The fire started at approximately 5:10 pm MST on July 11, 15 miles northwest of

Oracle An oracle is a person or thing considered to provide insight, wise counsel or prophetic predictions, most notably including precognition of the future, inspired by deities. If done through occultic means, it is a form of divination. Descript ...

, located in

. Another lightning strike a mile away produced another fire, both of which merged into the Freeman Fire. A storm system that had moved into the area contributed to the fires' rapid growth, and 12 hours after it was sparked the fire had already reached an estimated 12,000 acres in size. By July 13, the fire had again rapidly grown to 32,568 acres, its maximum coverage. Evacuations were also prompted in the Willow Springs Ranch area due to the fire. Later the same day, containment reached 5%, and fire crews worked to keep the fire within boundaries. On July 14, crews continued to establish and secure firelines. By July 15, containment on the fire had reached 65%, and many evacuation warnings, including the one issued for the Willow Springs Ranch area, were lifted. On July 18, the fire was declared 100% contained.

References

{{2024 wildfires 2024 wildfires in the United States Wildfires in Arizona

Progression

See also

References