The spread of the Gladiator Fire slowed over the weekend, allowing firefighters to make progress in controlling the blaze.
The Gladiator Fire has now spread to over 14,000 acres, and is 15% contained.
Low winds this weekend means the fire grew by only 1,200 acres between Friday and today.
Gerry Perry is with the Gladiator Fire Incident Management Team:
“When you have high winds in this kind of situation, extreme fire behavior occurs, and it’s extremely dangerous for the fire fighters to get very close to the front lines.”
Winds are expected to pick back up in the coming days, meaning the fire could begin to once again spread quickly.
The increasing winds are blowing smoke from the fire into Mayer and Dewey-Humboldt.
Yavapai County issued an air quality update today, telling residents in those areas that if the air looks smoky, it may not be a good time for outdoor activities.