Firefighters battle large brush blaze Tuesday night (w/video)

A late-night brush fire Tuesday burned about two acres near the East Cocopah Reservation but was contained before it could damage at least two homes it was endangering, according to the Somerton/Cocopah Fire Department.

SCFD spokesman Robby Rodriguez said the fire department got the call at 10:35 p.m. and had the fire on North Cottonwood Drive extinguished by about 2 a.m.

On arrival, SCFD firefighters encountered 60-foot-high flames that could be seen from around south Yuma County, Rodriguez said.

The flames were coming from a two-acre area where heavy brush growth had grown over about 25 to 30 years, he said.

"The fire produced a tremendous amount of heat. It took a couple of hours to get the fire contained."

Rodriguez said two nearby homes had to be evacuated due to the amount of heavy brush nearby. Slight winds were also causing embers to be blown onto the homes' roofs.

Firefighters set up between the fire and the homes to prevent any heat or fire damage, and used a combination of water and wildland foam to battle the blaze.

A second engine company from Marine Corps Air Station Fire Department was called to contain the north end of the fire while the SCFD contained the south end.

Rodriguez said after firefighters had the fire extinguished, they walked throughout the area putting out any hot spots.

Firefighters used high-pressure nozzles to penetrate the hot spots in the subsoil. By 1:45 a.m. Wednesday, crews were released from the fire and returned to their stations.

Rodriguez said the cause of the fire is undetermined at this time and the SCFD is investigating.

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James Gilbert can be reached at jgilbert@yumasun.com or 539-6854.