Residents in parts of Arizona’s most populous county asked to evacuate as a wildfire threatens homes

Residents in parts of Maricopa County, Arizona – the state’s most populous and home to Phoenix – have been asked to evacuate as the Boulder View Fire threatened structures.

Residents in parts of Maricopa County, Arizona – the state’s most populous and home to Phoenix – have been asked to evacuate as the Boulder View Fire threatened structures. An evacuation order went into effect Thursday night for residents along the southeast side of the fire, the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management said in a social media post. About 50 structures were at risk, officials said via the US Forest Service’s InciWeb alert system. About 4.5 million people live in the county. The fire, which began Thursday, was at 2,500 acres with 0% containment late that day and has been fueled by winds and hot, dry conditions, according to the InciWeb alert. It’s burning as the nation grapples with a summer of more extreme heat – the deadliest form of weather globally and one that makes wildfires more likely and destructive. And with the planet warming due to fossil fuel pollution, the heat will only get more frequent and intense. Fire activity in Maricopa County picked up late Thursday, forcing officials to shift crews to the southeast side of the fire to protect structures. Beyond structures, the wildfire is threatening “high voltage power lines and the Sonoran Desert,” authorities said via InciWeb. “It’s burning through grass and brush and has moved off of private land onto the Tonto National Forest,” they said, adding that nearly 180 personnel have been assigned to the fire.