The Superstition Fire has burned more than 8,000 acres in the desert east of the Valley, and firefighters are using a variety of tools to suppress the fire, which is 7% contained.
The fire is burning north of Gold Canyon. Firefighters are working to minimize threats to Gold Canyon, Apache Junction and the surrounding area.
They are laying down fire lines and using retardant, but with a number of fires burning throughout the Southwest, air support is limited.
“The use of retardant in some of those areas does not put the fire out but it does allow it to slow down and allows firefighters to get into that area and continue to work hard creating those fire lines to stop the head of the fire to spread,” said Annette Dysart, a spokeswoman with the fire team.
Highway 88 and a number of recreation areas, including Canyon Lake, are closed.
