Phoenix-area brush fire forces hundreds to evacuate

Wildfires in Arizona have forced more than two hundred residents of Cave Creek, near Phoenix, to flee their homes as firefighters struggle to get the blaze under control.

Arizona’s Department of Forestry and Fire Management reported that the blaze was about 20 percent contained as of Monday evening. The fire has so far forced the evacuation of 132 homes in Cave Creek, an order affecting about 250 people according to ABC News.

Monday AM UPDATE – #EastDesertFire remains at 1500 acres with 20% containment. Per @mcsoaz 130 homes near Cahava Springs evacuated overnight due to increased fire activity. High winds pose another challenge for crews today. Add’l aviation en route. #AZFire #AZForestry #CaveCreek

— AZ State Forestry (@azstateforestry) May 18, 2020

No homes have yet been burned in the town, which is about 33 miles north of Phoenix, but officials were reportedly worried about weather forecasts indicating gusts of high winds throughout the day Tuesday.

“We’re anticipating a lot of wind and that could drive the fire quite a bit,” Paul Schickel of the Daisy County Fire Department told ABC in a statement.

A spokesperson for the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management added to ABC that the exact cause of the fire was still being investigated, but it was thought to be human-caused.