Fire has burned over 140 square miles

Dozer Working on NE side of Fire, June 27 (InciWeb, USFS photo)

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — An evacuation notice was issued Saturday for a sparsely populated rural area northeast of Tucson because of a wildfire burning brush in a desert valley after coursing across the Santa Catalina Mountains.

There are about a dozen homes in the Redington area covered by the evacuation notice, Pima County sheriff’s Deputy Marissa Hernandez said.

There were no reports of structure damage or injuries, she said.

The fire swept across and crept over steep ridges and forested peaks in the Catalinas before descending to generally flatter terrain in the Redington area..

Started June 5 by lightning, the fire has forced several evacuation, including one still in effect for Summerhaven, a community on Mount Lemmon.

Click for InciWeb Update: Bighorn Fire

The fire has burned 149 square miles (385 square kilometers) and was contained around 40% of its perimeter as of Saturday.

Nearly 1,190 firefighters and other personnel supported by air tankers and helicopters were fighting the fire.

Elsewhere in Arizona, firefighters continued to fight or mop up wildfires north of the Grand Canyon, northeast of Mesa and near New River.

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