New fire rages in Tonto National Forest

A new fire broke out Thursday afternoon north of Fountain Hills and ravaged 13,000 hectares of desert Friday morning without any control. A thick plume of smoke was observed Thursday evening.

Around midnight, firefighters issued a “Go” evacuation order for an area bounded by 136 to 144 streets, between Dove Valley Road and the Tonto National Forest boundary. A “Set” evacuation order includes the area between 136^th From the street to Box Bar Road (from the forest road to Needle Rock) and from Rio Verde Drive to Dove Valley. This includes Trilogy to Verde River.

Rio Verde Fire District Chief Scott Krushak reported Friday that smoke and air quality could be a concern for district residents. An evacuation center is at Cactus Shadows High School, 5802 E. Dove Valley Road in Scottsdale. People should bring prescriptions, water, snacks, identification and pets. Drive carefully and follow the instructions of emergency personnel.

The fire was reported as burning in grass and brush Friday morning with about 180 people on scene with air support, according to fire management website Inciweb. The Arizona Department of Forestry and Tonto National Forest are managing fire operations.

The fire broke out around 2:30 p.m. on June 27, approximately 4.5 miles east of Cave Creek in the Boulder Heights subdivision area.

The fire is believed to have burned toward two existing burn scars from incidents earlier this season near Bartlett and Horseshoe Lakes on the Verde River. This is the fifth significant fire in the Tonto National Forest this season.

Firefighters cite high temperatures, low humidity and winds as concerns for firefighters in battling the blaze.

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