July 1, 2024: Blaze is 63% contained, evacuations lifted
Evacuation orders in Arizona have been lifted for some residents of northeast Scottsdale, days after they were forced from their homes by a wildfire, authorities said Sunday.
The Boulder View Fire was 63% contained Monday morning after charring nearly 3,711 acres on the cusp of the Boulder Heights subdivision since Thursday.
About 60 homes were evacuated Friday. No injuries have been reported and no structures have been damaged.
Authorities said the cause of the fire remains under investigation. It began about 5 miles outside northern Scottsdale on the edge of the Tonto National Forest.
Maricopa County Department of Emergency Management officials said evacuations were lowered from “GO” to “SET” status Saturday evening for some displaced residents preparing to return home.
Scottsdale officials have notified homeowners that the north part of the McDowell Sonoran Preserve, including all trails, will be closed until further notice. They called that a precautionary move and said there was no immediate threat to the preserve.
Officials said Bartlett Dam Road and Horseshoe Dam are open.
Tiffany Davila, a spokesperson for the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management, said nearly 270 firefighters were battling the wildfire in triple-digit heat on Sunday.
June 29, 2024: Boulder View Fire is about 4,000 acres and zero percent contained
The Boulder View Fire continues to burn north of Scottsdale, where 60 homes were evacuated on Friday.
The fire is about 4,000 acres and zero percent contained.
Tiffany Davila is a spokesperson for the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management. Although evacuations remained in place as of Saturday, she says trends are improving.
“We don’t know when those go and set statuses will be lifted, but at this time, significant progress is being made on this fire. Fire activity has slowed greatly over the last 48 hours, comparing to what we saw at the initial start of the fire," she said.
While the fire is about four miles east of Carefree, Davila says the community was never impacted since the fire was moving in the opposite direction.
The fire is believed to be human-caused and remains under investigation.
June 28, 2024: 60 forced to evacuate from Boulder View Fire in north Scottsdale
A wildfire erupted Thursday in north Scottsdale, less than 5 miles east of Carefree. Evacuations are underway, as the fire has burned at least 3,200 acres, or around 5 square miles, and is zero percent contained.
Evacuations have occurred east of 136th Street and north of Dove Valley Road, stretching to the boundary of Tonto National Forest from the Boulder View Fire. An estimated 60 people had left their homes by Friday morning after Maricopa County emergency personnel ordered evacuations for the subdivision on the edge of the Tonto National Forest.
The Maricopa County Department of Emergency Management on Friday expanded the list of who needs to get set to evacuate. As of Friday morning, residents between 136th Street to Box Bar Road and Rio Verde to Dove Valley roads should be prepared.
Fire officials said they were investigating exactly what sparked the blaze. Nearly 200 firefighters were on scene with air tankers were dropping retardant on the flames. Officials say the fire may reignite a burn scar from the Wildcat Fire.
Gusty winds continued to fan the flames in extremely hot, dry conditions, with a high of 110 on Friday in metro Phoenix.
"The southeast side of the fire remained active throughout the night producing 20-40 foot flame lengths in areas," Tiffany Davila, a spokesperson for the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management, said Friday.
“Additional resources were redirected to that side of the fire last night to begin structure protection and help crews start firing operations to tie the fire into nearby roads," she said.
The Red Cross set up an evacuation center at a high school in Scottsdale and evacuation shelters for horses and other large animals were established at several locations, including the rodeo grounds at nearby Cave Creek.
Scottsdale officials closed part of the McDowell Sonoran Preserve as a precaution but said there was no immediate threat. The air tankers armed with red retardant and helicopters hauling giant buckets of water helped ground crews keep the flames away from power lines in the area so far, fire officials said.
The National Interagency Fire Center said large wildfires also were burning Friday in Alaska, Oregon, California, New Mexico and Washington.
