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Today firefighters engaged with line construction and going direct along the fire’s edge, when and where it is safe. A helicopter with the Bureau of Land Management continued to support ground resources with bucket drops on lingering hot spots. Along the northeast and southeast sides of the fire, crews were able to get containment lines established and now have the fire 20% contained. It remains 166 acres per an aerial flight earlier today. Fire operations were able to engage the dozer this afternoon, within the river bottom, along the northwest flank of the fire. Dozer work provides for faster suppression efforts in the dense vegetation found within the riverbed. Precautionary efforts are being taken to ensure there is no adverse action within the riparian areas. Engine crews are patrolling around the communities to finish with structure protection. A fire investigator arrived on the incident today and the fire remains under investigation. 

Rose Fire overhead along with Maricopa County officials conducted a property damage assessment on Thursday. In total, 15 structures were destroyed, seven of which were primary residences. Twelve vehicles, a horse trailer, and a recreational vehicle were also destroyed in the fire. On Thursday, per Maricopa County Department of Emergency Management (MCDEM) the GO and SET statuses were lifted for impacted residents. However, after continuous evaluation with the Wickenburg Police Department and the fact that gas and electricity remain off to the south side, near the Hassayampa River, residents are asked to give time for utilities to be restored prior to reentering. Fire management along with local authorities will continue to reevaluate the power situation and determine when it would be safe to restore those utilities. 

The Rose Fire started Wednesday afternoon, within the Hassayampa Riverbed, along the east side of the US 60, five miles southeast of the town of Wickenburg. Hot, windy and dry conditions fueled the fire as it burned through salt cedar, grass and brush. The fire stayed active throughout the late afternoon, jumped the highway, and started burning along both sides of the 60. The fire spotted along the north flank of the fire, but firefighters were able to catch and contain those spot fires. Numerous firefighting aircraft supported firefighting efforts on the ground yesterday, including Single Engine Air Tankers, Very Large Air Tankers, and Scoopers. 

Maricopa County residents are encouraged to sign up for emergency alerts at: https://www.maricopa.gov/1755/CENS.