Massive fire causes 300 residents to flee in Arizona

Massive fire causes 300 residents to flee in Arizona

At least two homes have been burned after a brush fire broke out southeast of Phoenix.

A brush fire has broken out in rural Arizona, forcing the evacuation of 300 residents at a trailer park.

Two homes have been consumed in the blaze, which was fueled by salt cedar trees in the Gila River bed about 85 miles southeast of Phoenix in the town of Kearny, according to an Associated Press report.

No injuries have been reported. The blaze began at around 11 a.m. on Wednesday, and the cause is not yet known. However, dry conditions and heavy winds of up to 15 miles per hour quickly turned the fire into a major problem, doubling the size of it every hour.

The fire threatened 25 structures and got within 40 yards of some homes, according to the report.

A sheriff’s office spokesman said the fire was unpredictable, and the crews were at the mercy of the winds.

Half of the 300 evacuees live in a trailer park, which had also been evacuated when a lightning strike sparked a 500-acre wildfire two years ago in the same river bed.

So far, a car and two sheds have been destroyed by the fire, along with two homes. Authorities have closed a 4-mile stretch of state Route 177 due to the heavy smoke.

Kearny is located in Pinal County, Ariz. It was a planned community built in 1958 by the Kennecott Mining Company.

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