The Horton Fire burning northeast of Payson is currently 23% contained after expanding to 8,337 acres, as of Tuesday evening.
The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality warned of moderate to heavy smoke impacts from the fire early Tuesday in a social media post.
The fire began off Horton Creek Trail 292 in Horton Creek Canyon on Dec. 14 along the Mogollon Rim, quickly expanding from 45 to 300 acres the first couple of days.
By Dec. 17 with nearly 400 acres burning and 0% containment, Gila County Sheriff’s Office declared a “set” status, which encouraged nearby residents to remain alert and be ready to leave their homes if needed.
An emergency closure order has been in place since Dec. 18 for much of the Tonto and Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest trails and recreation sites near the fire.
Tonto National Forest officials stated the fire had grown to 7,032 acres and was 19% contained at a public meeting in Payson on Monday evening.
Carl Schwope, the incident commander for the fire, said there were no plans to shut off power in the affected areas despite growth with the wildfire and the proximity to power lines. Firefighters have been working with Arizona Public Service to keep power on.
Type 1 helicopters and all fire containment resources have been utilized in the suppression of the fire with about 480 fire personnel continuing to fight the blaze.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Arizona Republic reporter Corina Vanek contributed to this story.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Horton Fire near Payson now 23% contained but more than 8K acres