FD: Firefighters battle fire at palm tree farm in Casa Grande

Eloy Fire crews battled a fire at a palm tree farm in Casa Grande Tuesday.

(Eloy Fire District)

The incident happened near Signal Butte Road and Selma Highway. Fire officials said the fire was very large, and it was expected to affect local traffic through the afternoon.

“As we got closer we there was a very large plume of smoke. We arrived and it was a very fast-moving fire within the palm trees. Unknown how it started,” said Eloy Fire District Assistant Fire Chief Robert Maestas.

There were no structures nearby, and the only thing damaged were trees. There were also no reports of injuries. Crews managed to get a quick handle on the fire once on scene, and fire officials say these types of fires are fought differently than a house fire.

“We don’t get as aggressive," said Maestas. "We don’t put crews inside the fire area. We basically use the natural breaks and then we put down wet lines, maybe do a little chainsaw operation and fight the fire that way. More indirectly.”