Crooks Fire burns over 2,800 acres south of Prescott
The Crooks Fire burning near Mount Union, about 10 miles south of Prescott, grew to about 2,804 acres in size as of Friday morning with no new evacuations since Tuesday afternoon.
The fire, which was reported Monday morning, was at 5% containment as of Friday afternoon, according to a Prescott National Forest news release.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
InciWeb, a website tracking wildfire information, estimated the fire could be 100% contained by May 4.
Though the fire remained active overnight into Friday, the fire had minimal growth to the northeast and west of Senator Highway.
Fuels across a large area continue to burn along the inside of the fire, which is why surrounding communities will see an increase in smoke, forest officials said.
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Firefighters will continue to build lines, but the wind forecast for Friday will continue to test fire lines along the northeast edge of the fire.
Only two structures have been reported damaged since Monday, but additional information will be released when property locations have been verified and owners have been notified, forest officials said.
About 359 fire people were assigned to work on the fire Thursday night.
Where is the Crooks Fire burning?
Crooks Fire is burning about 10 miles south of Prescott in the west portion of Prescott National Forest, east of Lookout Mountain, northwest of Yankee Doodle Peak Venezia, southeast to Mount Tritle and south of Potato Patch.
The fire has reached Mount Union, Starlight Canyon, Mount Davis and Venezia.
The Forest Service closed sites in Groom Creek and Lynx Lake recreation areas, White Spar campground, Prescott Circle Trail and the Prescott Basin on Thursday night. A full list of what is closed can be found on the Forest Service's website.
Evacuations in effect for Crooks Fire
The Yavapai County Sheriff's Office said Groom Creek should be ready to evacuate on Thursday. The following areas are still on evacuation status:
Potato Patch
Breezy Pines
Walker Road
Lookout Mountain
Mountain Pines Acres
No additional evacuation orders were given on Thursday, but the Sheriff's Office asked people nearby to be ready in case that changes.
The American Red Cross said a shelter was set up for residents affected by the fire at the Yavapai College gymnasium, at 1100 E. Sheldon St. in Building 2, in Prescott.
If anyone has questions or needs assistance, they can stop by or call 1-800-RED-CROSS (800-733-2767).
The Sheriff's Office will continue to provide updates on evacuations.
Reach breaking news reporter Angela Cordoba Perez at Angela.CordobaPerez@Gannett.com or on Twitter @AngelaCordobaP.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Crooks Fire burns over 2,800 acres south of Prescott
