AZGFD workers may have started fire north of Flag

PHOENIX - The Arizona Game and Fish Department is conducting a review of the activities of one of its field crews in connection with an accidental wildfire, known as the 89 Mesa Fire, that started Thursday about nine miles northeast of Flagstaff and has so far burned more than 550 acres on the Coconino National Forest.

The two-person crew was conducting welding work as part of maintenance on a wildlife water catchment at the time the fire occurred.

“At this point we don’t know the details about what caused the fire, but it appears that department employees were involved,” said Gary Hovatter, deputy director for the Arizona Game and Fish Department. “We are conducting a thorough review to determine what happened.”

Hovatter added the agency would assist and cooperate fully with the U.S. Forest Service and other agencies in determining the cause of the fire.

The fire is burning 10 miles north of Flagstaff near U.S. 89. A stretch of that highway was closed briefly Thursday because of drifting smoke.

High winds are a concern, but firefighters appear to be gaining control. About 150 firefighters are on the scene.