SR 87 reopens between Phoenix area, Payson following brush fire
MESA, AZ (AZFamily) — A brush fire forced the closure of state Route 87, also known as the Beeline Highway, between the East Valley and Payson on Thursday evening, but the highway is now back open for drivers.
Arizona Department of Transportation officials say a semi-truck fire started the Valley Fire about 12 miles north of the Bush Highway just before 5:30 p.m.
Tonto National Forest says the Valley Fire burned 6 acres but forward progress has been stopped, and crews are in the mop-up stages.
Northbound lanes at Bush Highway were closed for hours, before reopening around 9:15 p.m.
Southbound lanes reopened around 5:30 a.m. on Friday.
While the fire was put out relatively quickly, officials said it’s taking crews a while to remove the burned-out semi-truck from the freeway.
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