Several new wildfires are prompting some residents near the Village of Oak Creek and Payson to prepare to evacuate.
Last night, a go evacuation order was issued by the Gila County Sheriff’s Office for two communities — Mountain Meadow Ranch and Washington Park near the Payson-area — due to the Washington Fire.
Residents living nearby have been told to get ready to leave. As have residents living east of the 179 in the Village of Oak Creek.
The Coconino National Forest says the Woods Fire covers about 55 acres and has been boxed in by fire retardant since it was first reported Wednesday afternoon.
And in the eastern part of Arizona, firefighters appear to have some containment on both the Bronco and Indian Creek Fires.
More Arizona Wildfires News
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Brian Fennessy has nearly 50 years of fire experience, which began in the late 1970s on elite federal hotshot crews and other wildfire teams. -
A group of mostly Western U.S. senators is demanding answers on why the U.S. Forest Service has fallen behind on efforts to reduce hazardous wildfire fuels. -
A group of U.S. senators say the Forest Service has fallen behind in wildfire prevention work like forest thinning which has been deemed vital to preventing billions of dollars of damage to regions in Arizona surrounded by national forests. -
Senate Democrats have asked Senate leadership to fund recovery from wildfires on federal lands. -
The Healthy Lungs for Heroes Act was introduced by Democratic California Senator Adam Schiff and Republican Utah Senator John Curtis. If passed, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and other federal officials would have one year to develop a plan to make "commercially available appropriate respiratory personal protective equipment for wildland firefighters and supporting staff in settings in which smoke exposure surpasses covered permissible exposure limits."
