Sept. 13, 2024: Fire grows to 12,000 acres
On Friday morning, the Siphon Fire had grown rapidly to 12,000 acres with no containment.
Susan Blake is with the Tonto National Forest. She says much of the fire is in rugged terrain.
"For the safety of firefighters we don’t want them to enter in that kind of terrain but we do have areas where engine crews are, where they’re conducting burnout operations to slow the fire."
Air tankers have been used to slow the fire’s growth.
SR88 is closed past Lost Dutchman State Park.
Sept. 12, 2024: Evacuations in place
Canyon Lake and Tortilla Flat were under an evacuation order Thursday morning for the Siphon Fire, according to a U.S. Forest Service news release.
The blaze northeast of Apache Junction was reported Tuesday and has burned 2,350 acres. It was at zero percent containment on Thursday afternoon.
Motorists should avoid the Superstition wilderness area, State Route 88 and Forest Road 78.
Fire officials said rugged terrain was making the blaze harder to access. The cause of the fire was still under investigation.
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As wildfires continue to destroy homes in Southern California, Arizona State University is checking in on students who might be affected. -
The Los Angeles Rams and Minnesota Vikings will play on Monday. Glendale says it's ready. -
The U.S. Forest Service and Department of Agriculture recently launched a program to increase ecological rehabilitation and wildfire risk prevention in parts of the country that need it most. -
The Horton Fire near Payson and several fires in the L.A. area have burned thousands of acres with little containment, stressing resources within the states. California has sent requests to Arizona for resources. -
In Arizona and across the country, wildfires continue to intensify year over year. The federal government is rolling out a new program to support sawmills and other wood processing facilities close to high-priority forest restoration areas and tribal lands at high risk of wildfires.
