An RV catching fire on a major highway is bad enough. When it explodes and takes 30 acres of Arizona desert with it, things get considerably more complicated. That’s exactly what happened on Wednesday afternoon along State Route 87, near Fountain Hills northeast of Phoenix, when a recreational vehicle fire escalated quickly into something far larger than any driver stuck in traffic was expecting to deal with.
The blaze, now officially designated the Round Valley Fire, ignited in the Mesa Ranger District of the Tonto National Forest after the RV caught fire on the southbound side of the highway and spread to the surrounding dry brush. Video captured by bystanders shows thick black smoke pouring from the vehicle before it erupts into a full fireball, the kind of footage that tends to travel fast on the internet and for obvious reasons.
Conner and Audrey Hunt were driving home when they rolled up on the scene. Audrey, who recorded the explosion, described a two-lane highway essentially blocked by a wall of fire. “We were pretty scared at first,” she said. “It was fully in flames.” That’s a reasonable reaction. The highway ground to a standstill as crews worked the fire from multiple angles.
Arizona DOT closed SR 87 in both directions, roughly 13 miles from Bush Highway, for about two hours starting around 3 p.m. By 5 p.m. the road had reopened, though one southbound lane near milepost 213 remained blocked. Fire crews were still visible on scene as late as 6:30 p.m., with the surrounding land charred and fully burned.
A 30-Acre Fire Started by a Single Vehicle
The Tonto National Forest confirmed the Round Valley Fire grew to approximately 30 acres. That number puts in perspective just how fast fire moves through dry Arizona brush in June, and it’s a useful reminder that a vehicle fire in the right conditions isn’t just a roadside inconvenience.
The cause remains under investigation.
Part of a Larger Fire Picture Across Arizona
This incident didn’t happen in isolation. Arizona has been dealing with multiple active wildfires in recent weeks, including the Pocket Fire north of Sedona, which burned more than 1,000 acres and forced evacuations in Oak Creek Canyon.
Dry, hot conditions have complicated firefighting efforts statewide, making any ignition source, including a distressed vehicle on a highway, worth taking seriously.
No Reported Injuries
As of the latest reports, no injuries have been confirmed from the Round Valley Fire or the initial vehicle explosion. Given what the video shows, that’s a genuinely fortunate outcome.
The highway is fully open and the investigation is ongoing.