(Scottsdale) More than 200 firefighters were battling a wildfire northeast of Phoenix, Arizona, Saturday that threatened homes and forced dozens of residents to evacuate.
No structures were damaged as the wildfire burned nearly 15 square kilometers on the edge of the Boulder Heights subdivision, said Matthew Wilcox, a spokesman for a multi-agency fire response team. of forest.
On Saturday, 275 people were battling the blaze as temperatures exceeded 38 degrees Celsius before midday, with gusts expected in the afternoon.
“We still have abnormally high humidity and warm weather,” Wilcox said. We don’t have any wind at the moment, but gusts were forecast. »
Air tankers and helicopters helped extinguish the flames coming from the sky above the Boulder View Fire. An investigation is underway to determine the cause of the fire. It started about five miles east of Carefree, just outside of northern Scottsdale on the edge of the Tonto National Forest.
The Red Cross set up an evacuation center at a Scottsdale high school, and shelters for horses and other large animals were set up at several locations, including the nearby Cave Creek Rodeo Grounds.
In central California, rising temperatures and low relative humidity this weekend could lead to worsening wildfire conditions for the Fresno June Lightning Complex. The complex — comprised of three large fires in eastern Fresno County as well as several smaller fires — spanned nearly 17 square miles and was 42 percent contained as of Saturday morning. One structure was confirmed destroyed, and evacuation orders remained in effect.
To the north, the Apache Fire in Butte County has destroyed 14 structures and damaged two others since Monday. The fire was 1.1 square miles (2.8 square kilometers) and 95 percent contained as of Saturday morning.
Crews were making good progress Saturday on the Darlene 3 fire in central Oregon. It covered 15 square kilometers and was 50% controlled on Saturday morning.
The weather aided firefighting efforts. Light winds, cooler temperatures and high humidity overnight contributed to firefighters’ progress. This also allowed the Deschutes County, Oregon Sheriff’s Office to lower the evacuation level for Newberry Estates from Level 3 to Level 2. All other evacuation notices were lifted for the area as of west of Highway 97.