What began as a reckless drunk driving incident near Hillside, Arizona, on August 1st, 2025, grew into a major wildfire threat. The driver was driving down the interstate on the bare rim. Several fires were started by those sparks, and they eventually merged to become the current Kirkland Fire.
The Early Days (August 1-2) Firefighters had to work quickly after the fire rapidly grew to 866 acres. Only 10% of the fire had been contained by the morning.
8 fire engines, 3 water tenders, specialized hotshot crews, hand crews, and even a bulldozer to assist in establishing firebreaks were among the nearly 100 firefighters who responded to the area.
The Kirkland area's residents were put on "SET" status, which required them to be prepared to leave at any time if authorities issued the order. When it was safe to do so, County Road 96 was reopened in both directions after having to be temporarily closed.
Controlled fires along a two-track road on the fire's northwest edge were somewhat successful for the overnight team. In preparation for more regulated burning operations, they moved southward into the valley between Sadies Peak and Kingsbury Mountain.
Firefighters realized they faced a difficult situation when it was predicted that the humidity would drop to just 6%.
To help in navigating the difficult terrain, additional resources were called in, such as specialized hand crews and a Rapid Extraction Module Support (REMS) team.
Progress by August 5th: By Tuesday, the news had improved significantly. Although more accurate mapping revealed that the fire was somewhat smaller than initially believed, it had spread to 913 acres, yet control had risen sharply to 60%.
In order to find any remaining hot spots and clean up remaining areas, firefighters were now "cold trailing" around the boundaries of the fire.
Engines were moving through the interior, searching for fire that was left. Due to the ongoing hot, dry weather, the fire was still burning and advancing along the northwest and western borders, but workers were rapidly using direct suppression techniques in those parts.
Yavapai County's fire is roughly 2.5 miles northeast of Hillside, and because of the dedicated work of firefighting crews, it is almost completely contained.
