Wildfire near Scottsdale forces evacuations as air tankers, 200 firefighters battle blaze

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Nearly 200 firefighters battled a wildfire near Scottsdale Friday as air tankers dropped retardant on the flames that forced dozens of people to flee their homes overnight.

Arizona fire officials said there were no reports of injuries or damaged homes from the human-caused fire that broke out around 2:30 p.m. Thursday near the Boulder Heights subdivision.

About 60 people had left their homes Friday morning after Maricopa County emergency personnel ordered the evacuation of the subdivision located on the edge of the Tonto National Forest.

The Boulder View Fire has burned about 5 square miles with no containment, authorities said.

“The southeast side of the fire remained active throughout the night, producing flames 20 to 40 feet high in some areas,” Tiffany Davila, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Forestry and Fire Management, said Friday. Arizona.

“Additional resources were redirected to this side of the fire last night to begin structure protection and assist crews in initiating fire operations to connect the fire to nearby roads,” she said.

The Red Cross set up an evacuation center at a Scottsdale high school, and evacuation shelters for horses and other large animals were set up at several locations, including at the nearby Cave Creek rodeo grounds.

The Red Cross evacuation center at Cactus Shadow High School closed at 8 p.m. Friday and was scheduled to reopen at 7 a.m. Saturday, officials said.

People in the evacuated area who may need services can call the Red Cross at 602-332-1051.

As the fire rages to the east, Scottsdale has closed the northern portion of its McDowell Sonoran Preserve (north of Dynamite Boulevard) until further notice.

“This closure is being done out of an abundance of caution to the public – while this fire does not currently pose an immediate threat, wind gusts can change just as quickly,” city officials said in a statement.

The closure includes all preserved lands north of Dynamite Boulevard, including city trailheads at:

• Pima Dynamite
• Brown's Ranch
• Fraesfield
• Granite Mountain

Neighborhood access points in these areas are also closed, according to authorities.

Independent media contributed to this report.

We would like to invite our readers to submit their civil comments on this issue. E-mail [email protected].