Evacuation orders downgraded as Boulder View Fire rages northeast of Scottsdale (2024)

3,711 acres burned with 19% containment

Published: Jun. 27, 2024 at 3:37 PM MST|Updated: 21 hours ago

SCOTTSDALE, AZ (AZFamily) — Evacuation orders for a human-caused wildfire burning thousands of acres northeast of Scottsdale have been downgraded on Saturday afternoon.

The Maricopa County Department of Emergency Management said residents from 136th Street to 144th Street from Dove Valley Road to the Tonto National Forest are now at a “SET” Status and should be prepared to evacuate if needed.

Evacuations were previously ordered for the area early Friday morning. The Boulder View Fire first sparked on Thursday afternoon and has burned 3,711 acres with 19% containment.

“We were woken up by a police helicopter with spotlights in our area on the radio asking everybody to evacuate,” said Kristin Engelker.

“We have two little kids, so you know mostly just getting the super important things, documents things like that. Getting things ready that if we had to leave and not able to come back, we have everything ready. We don’t have any pets or livestock, but a lot of the people around here do have lots of animals, so you know lots of people are getting trailers and getting their horses ready to go,” said Maddison Baca, who lives near the wildfire.

The area from 136th Street to Box Bar Road and Rio Verde Road to Dove Valley has now been downgraded to a ‘READY’ status.

“(Saturday) crews really just patrolled the perimeter, checking for any interior smokes, any remaining heat and then making sure the fire’s edge was secure,” said Tiffany Davila with the Department of Forestry and Fire Management.

The fire is burning near the Boulder Heights community, close to Lone Mountain Parkway and Cave Creek Road, located east of Desert Mountain Golf Club.

This marks the third fire in the last six weeks that has forced road closures to Bartlett Lake.

“We’ve been at this now for about 35 years, and no, I’ve never seen it like this before,” says Bartlett Lake Marina co-owner Bryan Church. “It has impacted us pretty badly actually because when you lose these, you got these closures it impacts the boat rentals that have been pre-scheduled with people for weeks, maybe months.”

In addition, Arizona Humane Society staff was deployed to help shelter evacuated pets. Medical staff and emergency animal medical technicians are on-site helping pet owners.

A large animal evacuation shelters are located at:

• Cave Creek Memorial Arena (37201 N 28th St Cave Creek)
• Reigning Grace Ranch (28614 N 172nd St Scottsdale)
• Cave Creek Outfitters (31313 N 144th St Scottsdale)
• AERO

“It’s very surreal. It definitely is a wake up call that you know we’re not just playing around here this is serious stuff. Just trying to stay out of everyone’s way and help where I can,” said Engelker.

The City of Scottsdale notified homeowners that the north part of the McDowell Sonoran Preserve, including all trails and access points north of Dynamite Boulevard, will be closed until further notice.

Officials say this is a precaution, but there is no immediate threat to the preserve.

Tiffany Davila, spokeswoman with the Department of Forestry and Fire Management, says around 60 homes were evacuated. The fire is also threatening power lines in the area.

Officials remind residents that if evacuated, they should be sure to bring pets, water, snacks, identification and medical prescriptions.

“It’s very uneasy knowing that anything could happen at any moment. The wind shifts and fire was moving in one direction last night and then it shifted in the middle of the night, so here we are,” said Engelker.

The Red Cross has set up an evacuation center at Cactus Shadows High School. Both owners and pets are encouraged to go there

On Thursday night, the southeast end of the fire grew significantly, prompting evacuations for part of the Vista Verde community.

The Red Cross has set up an evacuation center at Cactus Shadows High School. It’ll close at 8 p.m. on Friday night and reopen at 7 a.m. on Saturday.

“It’s definitely not comforting knowing that you got a fire in your backyard, but I have faith in the fire department. I think they’re doing their best. They’ll keep an eye out on us and they’ll get it taken care of hopefully, cross your fingers,” said Engelker.

Four large animal evacuation shelters have been set up at Cave Creek Rodeo Grounds, Reigning Grace Ranch, Arizona Equine Rescue and Cave Creek Outfitters.

Deputies from the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, Scottsdale Police officers and troopers from the Arizona Department of Public Safety assisted in conducting the evacuations. Drivers were asked to avoid the area to allow for evacuation traffic.

No injuries have been reported.

Officials say the southeast side of the fire was active throughout Thursday night, with flames reaching up to 20 to 40-feet. On the northwest side, crews were able to successfully slow the flames and keep it from spreading north.

According to the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management, some of the fire has reached the burn scar from last month’s Wildcat Fire. Flames have been fueled by dry, hot weather, and wind gusts.

Bartlett Lake Dam Road is closed at Cave Creek Road for the safety of firefighters. However no recreational areas have been evacuated.

Officials say the fire was caused by humans but no additional details have been released.

Additional resources responded to fight the fire on Friday, including more hand crews and engines. The Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management and the Tonto National Forest wildfire teams are actively engaged in battling the fire.

On Thursday, three state Type 2 hand crews, multiple Interagency hand crews, and engines were working to put out the massive blaze.

Air support is also being utilized, with a Very Large Air Tanker, a Large Air Tanker, four Single Engine Air Tankers, two helicopters, and an Air Attack aircraft all involved in the effort. Currently, around 180 personnel are assigned to the fire.

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