Brush fire temporarily closes State Route 87 in both directions south of Payson
PAYSON, AZ (AZFamily) — Both directions of State Route 87 were temporarily closed due to a brush fire that broke out Saturday afternoon south of Payson.
The northbound lanes were closed at milepost 229, and the southbound lanes were closed at State Route 188, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation. The stretch of SR-87 was closed around noon when the fires were reported and was shut down for about five hours. They reopened at 5 p.m.
The Slate Fire is burning in the Tonto National Forest, near Mount Ord. Forward progression of the brush fire stopped at 5 acres, according to the Tonto National Forest.
One type 3 helicopter, one water tender and five engine crews are working to fight the blaze. The Tonto National Forest said that the cause of the fire was a flat tire on a vehicle.
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