The human-caused East Desert fire ignited Sunday afternoon near 24th Street and Desert Hills Drive in Cave Creek, Arizona. The fire originally only prompted the evacuation of a few homes west of the fire. However, due to wind and slope, the fire quickly grew to 1,000 acres by Sunday Night. Consequently, the forest service ordered additional crews, engines, and aircraft support. Then by Monday morning, the fire spread close to 1,500 acres into the Cahava Springs area, sparking additional evacuations of 130 homes immediately east of the fire. Thankfully overall, the fire has not destroyed any structures or caused any injuries.
Redzone provided perimeter of the 1,492 acre fire.
Outlook
For the most part, crews took advantage of the minimal fire activity yesterday, securing containment lines around the fire. Additionally, acreage on the fire has not increased the past two days. However, gusty winds up to 30 mph along with low humidity levels are forecast this afternoon. Therefore, this could cause fire activity and rate of spread to increase over the easily ignited, tall grass and light brush terrain. Hopefully, the cooler weather expected tomorrow will bring the crews some relief. According to the National Interagency Coordination Center, six crews, five engines, and three helicopters continue to work the fire, involving an estimated 250 personnel.
Fire Facts
- As of: May 19th, 2020
- Location: Cave Creek, AZ
- Size: 1,492 acres
- Containment: 70%
- Fire Behavior: Low-moderate fire activity through tall grass and brush, with smoldering and creeping.
- Structures Threatened: Estimated 130
- Structures Destroyed: 0
- Evacuations: In place for homes in Cahava Springs area.
- Incident Page: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6712/
