More residents in parts of Arizona’s most populous county asked to evacuate as a wildfire threatens homes
Residents in parts of Maricopa County, Arizona – the state’s most populous and home to Phoenix, the state capital – have been asked to evacuate as the Boulder View Fire threatens structures.
An evacuation order went into effect Thursday night for residents along the southeast side of the fire, the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management said in a social media post. The department said at least 60 homes were evacuated Thursday. About 4.5 million people live in the county.
“It definitely puts a little bit of a panic into your mind right away,” a Scottsdale woman told CNN affiliate KPNX. “We made a plan. We have had a plan. We have lots of friends in the area that have trucks and trailers ready to go when we are.”
The woman, along with another resident, safely evacuated to another property in north Scottsdale where they have mares, pigs, goats and cats. They said watching the “orange flames over the north side of the houses” put them “on edge” as they watched from safety.
The fire, which began Thursday, has burned 3,200 acres and is at 0% containment, fueled by winds and hot, dry conditions, said via the US Forest Service’s InciWeb alert system on Friday. Overnight, there were flame lengths as high as 20 to 40 feet in some areas, the alert said.
The fire is burning as the nation grapples with a summer of more extreme heat – the deadliest form of weather globally and one making wildfires more likely and destructive. And with the planet warming due to fossil fuel pollution, the heat will only get more frequent and intense.
The areas preparing for evacuation expanded Friday morning, as the fire moved farther east, according to the Maricopa County Department of Emergency Management and the InciWeb alert system.
Areas southeast of the fire from Dove Valley Road to the Tonto National Forest boundary remain under an evacuation order.
“We’ve evacuated our horses, and we’ll get some more. I’ll do it all night long if I have to,” resident Chris Hull told CNN affiliate KNXV as he was fueling up his truck to haul more livestock. “Whatever it takes.”
Fire activity in Maricopa County picked up late Thursday, forcing officials to shift crews to the southeast side of the fire to protect structures. The wildfire is also threatening “high voltage power lines and the Sonoran Desert,” authorities said via InciWeb.
“It’s burning through grass and brush and has moved off of private land onto the Tonto National Forest,” they said, adding nearly 180 personnel have been assigned to the fire.
The Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management said in a news release the fire continues to be fueled by hot and dry conditions, with 15 mph winds in the area on Friday.
This story has been updated with additional information.
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