Wildfire near Scottsdale forces evacuations as air tankers, 200 firefighters battle blaze

Nearly 200 firefighters battled a wildfire near Scottsdale on Friday as air tankers dropped retardant on the flames that forced dozens of people to flee their homes overnight.

Arizona fire officials said there have been no reports of any injuries or homes damaged by the human-caused fire that broke out at about 2:30 p.m. Thursday near the Boulder Heights subdivision.

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 Boulder View Fire had burned about 5 square miles with no containment, authorities said.

"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.

The Red Cross Evacuation Center at Cactus Shadow High School closed at 8 p.m. Friday and was set to reopen at 7 a.m. Saturday, officials said.

Those in the evacuated area that may need services can call the Red Cross at 602-332-1051.

With the fire burning to the east, Scottsdale has closed the north portion of its McDowell Sonoran Preserve (north of Dynamite Boulevard) until further notice.

“This closure is enacted out of an abundance of caution for the public - while this fire does not presently pose an immediate threat, gusting winds can change that rapidly,” city officials stated in a release.

The closure includes all preserve lands north of Dynamite Boulevard, including city trailheads at:

• Pima Dynamite
• Brown's Ranch
• Fraesfield
• Granite Mountain

Neighborhood access points in these areas are closed as well, according to authorities.

Independent Newsmedia contributed to this report.

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