Hundreds of fire crew members are working to reduce the Boulder View Fire in Maricopa County, which has led to the evacuation of over 60 places in the suburbs of Phoenix, according to the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management.
The origin of the fire is being investigated by the department, which has been identified as “human” caused. It started around 2:30pm on Friday, 5 miles east of Carefree, outside of Scottsdale, and has since spread.
According to the US National Park Service (NPS) on its website, “Nearly 85 percent of wildfires in the United States are caused by humans. Human-caused fires are the result of campfires left unattended, burning debris, equipment use and malfunctions, tobacco accidental disposal, and intentional acts of arson.”
The fire “remained very active during the night, showing extreme fire behavior with lengths of 20 to 40 feet in some areas,” the state government’s website reported Friday.
Tiffany Davila/Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management via AP
As of Saturday, the fire has covered 3,736 hectares, and is 0 percent contained. Spread percentages may change overnight due to weather and wind conditions. A press release from the department said that 242 personnel were assigned to the fire, including seven hand crews, 11 engines, two water tenders and six helicopters.
“Airtankers and helicopters were used on the southern edge of the fire to improve the two-track road to be used as a holding feature,” the release read. The Tonto National Forest, which is helping fight the fire, issued a public reminder on X, formerly Twitter, Friday for civilians to avoid flying planes and drones while crews battle the Boulder View Fire.
Tiffany Davila, public affairs officer for the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management, said Newsweek in an email on Friday afternoon, “The southeast part of the fire is still quite active and continues to be very hot. Hand crews remain involved in the area and if necessary today the helicopter will support with bucket work for lingering hotspots.”
Davila noted that “dense, dry vegetation” helped fuel the fire, along with high temperatures in the area, which rose above 100 degrees, and strong winds between 15 and 20 miles per hour. The department noted that despite “unacceptable high humidity of 26 to 31 percent … fire activity is moderate to extreme.”
In Scottsdale, a suburb of the state capital, 60 homes have been placed under “GO” evacuation status, the department’s press release said. This means “a hazard in your area is imminent and life-threatening,” according to a national program run in Arizona.
Other neighborhoods have been given “SET” notices, encouraging residents to move to shelters outside the area, Davila confirmed. On Friday, the Red Cross opened an evacuation center in Scottsdale. Maricopa County is the most populous in the state, with more than 4.5 million residents.
The Boulder View Fire comes as the region experiences warmer than average temperatures. The National Weather Service (NWS) Phoenix noted at X on Saturday that Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport reached a record warmest of 92 degrees on June 28, beating the 2016 record low of 89.
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