TUCSON (KVOA) – From playful snow to fire spreading winds, the winter storm threw Southern Arizona a big curve ball on Wednesday.
While the snow did not seem to make its way to Tucson early Wednesday evening, the high winds added an extra danger for people receding in the Old Pueblo.
A two-alarm fire that ignited on the south side Wednesday afternoon caused eight people to be displaced.
Unfortunately, this problem did not restrict itself to Tucson, as the American Red Cross reported 12 disaster responses on Wednesday – five in Maricopa County, one in Yuma County, one in Gila County and five in Pima County.
Red Cross officials said all the incidents were either single-family or multi-family fires.
There was also a major wildfire in Cochise, Ariz. While fire crews were able to control the blaze by Wednesday evening, the blaze damaged two homes due to the strong winds causing the fire to rapidly spread.
The strong winds also caused problems for drivers in the area, as Rincon Valley Fire District alone were involved in two incidents that prompted closures on Interstate 10 within a two hour period.
One incident was a single-vehicle crash on westbound I-10 at milepost 287, the other was a semi trailer fire that took place on westbound I-10 near Colossal Cave Road.
While the fire caused some issues across the area, several parts of Southern Arizona were graces with something desert dwellers are not used to seeing – a good amount of snow.
Over in Oracle, several residents were spotted pulling over their vehicles to have some fun in the snow.
Snow day in Oracle, AZ. Elevation 4500’. @angeliquetvnews pic.twitter.com/PDL0WVm7aW
— Tucson Weather (@mattbrode) February 23, 2022
Mount Lemmon also was blanketed with some powder.
Here is the last half hour time-lapsed at Summerhaven. (3:00-3:30PM) #AZwx pic.twitter.com/YAHgl9FhDd
— Tucson Weather (@mattbrode) February 23, 2022
As of 3:42 p.m. Wednesday, the road to Mount Lemmon is open only for vehicles with four-wheel drive or chains.
For the latest road conditions, call 520-547-7510.
If you would like to submit your snow photos, click here.
Have a news tip or would like to report a typo? Email Anthony Victor Reyes at [email protected].