Thursday’s heat wave and windy weather has created a challenge for firefighters handling the Sawtooth Fire in the Superstitions.

The fire has reached about 24,000 acres and remains at 8% containment. The hottest point right now lies around Weaver’s Needle in the northeast area.

And the heat wave isn’t helping. The high heat has dried out a lot of the grass in the area, and high winds make it harder to keep the fire contained.

Fire information officer Brad Pitassi explains how the fire uses this grass to burn.

“The fire is burning in what we call 'flashy fuel.' So the really tall grasses carry fire very quickly and they also carry it for great distances and then it cools off.” Pitassi said.

Pitassi added that the firefighters are prepared for high winds and thunderstorms to continue into the weekend as they continue to battle the fire.