Ron Brackett
Two large wildfires driven by extreme fire conditions in central Arizona have consumed more than 170 square miles and forced several communities to evacuate.
The Gila County Sheriff's Office on Monday ordered residents of several additional areas to evacuate, including parts of the town of Miami, Arizona, Central Heights, Ice House Canyon, Kellner Canyon and Six Shooter Canyon and the east side of El Capitan.
The Sheriff's Office on Sunday ordered people living in homes west of Miami, to evacuate as the Telegraph Fire neared the town, which is about 70 miles east of Phoenix.
Earlier Sunday, the Pinal County Sheriff's Office ordered residents of nearby Top-of-the-World, Arizona, to leave their homes because of the fire. Residents of Superior, Arizona, were told to be ready to evacuate at a moment's notice.
The Boyce Thompson Arboretum was evacuated Monday afternoon as the Telegraph Fire inched closer to the park, the Arizona Republic reported.
U.S. Highway 60 was closed between Superior and Miami. A stretch of U.S. Highway 70 was closed to semitractor-trailers.
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The Telegraph Fire, which began Friday, has burned more than 88 square miles, according to Inciweb. It was threatening more than 150 homes. The cause is being investigated.
About 25 miles to the east, the Mescal Fire quickly grew from 12 square miles to more than 82 square miles on Sunday, driven by gusty winds.
Residents of Coyote Flats, Soda Canyon and those living on the east side of State Route 77 in El Capitan were ordered to leave their homes, according to Inciweb.
Stretches of two state highways – State Route 77 between Winkelman and U.S. 70, and State Route 177 between Winkelman and Superior – have been closed because of the fire.
The Mescal Fire began June 1 about 12 miles southeast of Globe, Arizona.
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The area where the fires are burning is experiencing exceptional drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. More than a quarter of the West is in exceptional drought, and upwards of 50% of the region is in extreme or exceptional drought, the two worst categories.
No rain, high temperatures, low humidity and gusty winds are increasing the fire risk.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.
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