Bush Fire Near Phoenix Doubles In Size; Evacuations In Place

PHOENIX, AZ — A wildfire northeast of Phoenix that has prompted evacuations of three communities and closed parts of two state highways has grown dramatically in size, officials said Tuesday as they braced for hot and windy conditions.

The Bush Fire, which started June 13 near the intersection of Bush Highway and Highway 87, surged Monday night. It quickly doubled in size as it swept through the Tonto National Forest and burned through more than 64,000 acres by Tuesday.

At 0 percent containment, the Bush Fire is currently the largest actively burning wildfire in the nation, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. While the cause of the fire is still under investigation, officials said it was likely man-made.

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The Bush Fire is also on the verge of becoming one of the top 10 largest wildfires in Arizona history, KTAR reported. No. 10 is the Murphy Complex Fire, which consumed 68,078 acres near Rio Rico in 2011.

Currently, large fires are also burning in mountains near Tucson and in a forest north of the Grand Canyon in southern and northern Arizona, respectively.

Evacuations

The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office issued an evacuation order just before noon Tuesday for residents in the Sunflower area off State Route 87. Sunflower is an unincorporated community about 30 miles northeast of Fountain Hills.

On Monday, about 1,500 people in Punkin Center and Tonto Basin were evacuated due to the fire, which was reported at 37,000 acres Monday night.

Earlier Monday, the Gila County Sheriff’s Office raised the alert level for residents in Jakes Corner and Sunflower to “set,” the highest level before an evacuation order.

Road And Park Closures

State Highway 87 is closed from near Payson to the Bush Highway. Highway 188 is closed from Highway 60 near Claypool to Highway 87. The best place to get road information is at www.az511.com.

The Sugarloaf, Four Peaks, Lower Sycamore, Pobrecito, Butcher Jones, the Rolls, Saguaro Del Norte Recreation Areas and Suguaro Lake are all closed at this time.