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Arizona Communities Evacuated As Bush Fire Spreads Farther Into Tonto National Forest

A wildfire northeast of Phoenix has caused the evacuation of four communities. Heavy winds pushed the Bush Fire farther north and east in the Tonto National Forest as more than 400 firefighters try to keep the wildfire in check.

People who live near Apache Lake were asked to evacuate June 16 as have residents of Sunflower, Punkin Center and Tonto Basin.

The Bush Fire began June 13 after an SUV went up in flames on the shoulder of the Beeline Highway.

The Show spoke with Dee Hines, a national forest supervisor who is a spokesperson with the Bush Fire Incident Command Team, for the latest on the fire and its path.

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Lauren Gilger, host of KJZZ's The Show, is an award-winning journalist whose work has impacted communities large and small, exposing injustices and giving a voice to the voiceless and marginalized.