PRESCOTT, AZ — Officials have issued GO and SET evacuation notices for several communities south of Prescott due to the Crooks Fire.
Crooks Fire was discovered Monday at 10 a.m. approximately 10 miles south of Prescott.
The flames quickly spread in the hours that followed its ignition.
It's now charred roughly 500 acres.
"This is in an area where we have heavy fuels. It is obviously very dry and very windy. So, there was some growth on that fire today,” said U. S. Forest Spokeswoman Debbie Maneely.
A shelter, staffed with volunteers from the American Red Cross, is up and running at the Findlay Toyota Center in nearby Prescott Valley.
"A lot of these areas are south of town, one lane roads, dirt road and very narrow,” added Maneely.
The fire is burning through brush, ponderosa pine and mixed conifer. Local resources including aircraft have been working throughout the day in rugged terrain identifying hazards. More resources including crews, engines and aircraft have been ordered for Tuesday.
As of Monday afternoon, the following areas have been issued GO evacuation notices:
- Camp Kiva
- Mt. Tridal
- Residents located near Mount Union and Camp Kippa.
These locations have issued SET evacuation notices for the following areas:
- Hopper’s Retreat
- Evan’s Cabin
- Potato Patch
- Lower Wolf Creek
- Groom Creek and Groom Creek camps
Officials have also issued road closures in the area, below:
- Goodwin Rd - Crown King to Senator Hwy.
- Walker Rd is blocked at Senator Hwy.
- Lower Wolf Creek Rd blocked at Senator Hwy.
- Big Bug Mesa blocked at Goodwin Rd.
It is unclear what started the fire.
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