Post Fire forces evacuations, closure of Kartchner Caverns State Park

Aidan Wohl, Arizona Republic
Updated ·1 min read

Kartchner Caverns State Park lost power and was forced to close to the public after a wildfire ignited near the park in Cochise County on Thursday afternoon.

With an acreage of 620, the Post Fire has threatened multiple structures and forced evacuation orders and road closures just 7 miles southwest of Benson, according to the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management.

The department began updating on the fire at 2:30 p.m., but did not specify how the fire started.

Five hand crews, 12 engines, large air tankers, very large air tankers and helicopters were assigned to report to the wildfire, according to the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management.

Evacuations and closures

The Cochise County Sheriff's Office gave evacuation orders around 3 p.m.

The following orders remained in effect:

"Go" status:

  • Whetstone Canyons

  • Highway 90

The Arizona Department of Transportation closed State Route 90 in both directions between Interstate 10 and State Route 82.

Kartchner Caverns State Park has lost power due to the fire and is currently closed to the public, including camping grounds, according to the Arizona State Parks Twitter account.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Post Fire forces evacuations, closure of Kartchner Caverns State Park