Bighorn Fire personnel have been working 12- to 16-hour shifts for 14 days in a row in their war on the flames threatening hundreds of Tucson-area homes and the community of Summerhaven on Mount Lemmon, officials said.
About 700 people are collectively involved in hosing down hot spots, hacking through brush, digging fire lines and spreading water and flame retardant, and supporting the firefighting effort, the latest fire update shows.
There’s a vast amount of machinery and equipment involved in fighting the lightning-sparked Bighorn Fire. The cost so far to battle the blaze is $10 million, officials said Wednesday.
The tentative tab has added up quickly due to extensive use of planes and helicopters in rugged terrain inaccessible by ground crews, said Greg Heule, a fire information officer.
“Any time you’re using a lot of aircraft it gets very expensive, Heule said.