Fire crews are battling five separate wildfires across Arizona, with the largest spanning more than four square miles. The blazes damaged several buildings and have forced hundreds of people to evacuate their homes. TODAY’s Natalie Morales reports.
Firefighters battled two wildfires in northern Arizona Monday night that have forced residents from their homes.
A fire in Crown King has forced 350 residents from their homes in a historic mining town just weeks ahead of the busy tourist season. There, the fire began on private land Sunday and has grown to 1,300 acres, destroying two buildings and one trailer, Prescott National Forest spokeswoman Debbie Maneely said.
The blaze started at a “structure” and was human-caused, she said. Crown King is a popular destination for all-terrain vehicles because of its numerous hills and gorges. It is located in the mountains more than 85 miles north of Phoenix.
As of Monday evening, the Crown King fire had not been contained.
A wildfire more than 120 miles northeast of Phoenix was five percent contained Monday evening, according to the Incident Information System. The 4,600-acre fire there – deemed very active – emanated dark plume smoke, according to the incident site.
Authorities had not determined the cause of that fire
Expected hot and windy weather could make containment difficult, Maneely said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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