30 June, 2017
But the full extent of property losses has yet to be determined because of continued fierce fire activity in the vicinity, said Tiffany Davila, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Forestry and Fire.
The fire, which is about 100 miles (160 kilometers) north of Phoenix, triggered evacuations for thousands of residents in a half-dozen communities and came close to consuming the town of Mayer.
More than 500 firefighters have been assigned to the fire.
The flames crossed a road a day earlier and approached the town of Dewey-Humboldt, but officials said firefighters saved the community from devastation.
Mayer has been evacuated along with four other local communities, according to the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office, with hundreds of residents forced from their homes.
Elsewhere across the western US, a fire in the foothills north of Los Angeles was burned right up to homes before the blaze was beaten back.
Authorities also called in school buses to drive 1,400 children from area summer camps run by churches, the YMCA and other groups.
Beside permanent residents, the U.S. Forest Service ordered campgrounds to empty of the thousands of people visiting for the popular Fourth of July weekend.
Northern Arizona's Goodwin Fire Blazes Through 4400 Acres
A force of about 800 firefighters, backed by airplane tankers dumping payloads of flame-retardant chemicals, benefited from diminished winds and increased humidity in the region which helped slow the fire's growth and intensity, officials said.
In California, crews were making gains against two new fires that spread quickly.Firefighters in Idaho battled five lightning-sparked wildfires burning in grass and brush.
Higher humidity also helped firefighters on Wednesday despite a temporary halt to aircraft operations because of an unauthorized drone flying in the area.
Officials say that fire crews are expected to face dry, windy conditions Tuesday and a "high potential" for extreme fire behavior. Authorities did not find the pilot.
PHOENIX-A wildfire burning Wednesday through a dense Arizona forest has forced hundreds of people from their homes, closed a major road and created a huge plume of smoke over the same area devastated by a blaze that killed 19 firefighters four years ago. "And I wanna take that same type of spirit out as we fight this fire over the Fourth of July holiday weekend". The fire has charred 83 sq.km while being fanned by winds ranging to 56 kph winds. The fire was ignited by someone using a weed-burning torch.
In Southern California, a wildfire burning on the Camp Pendleton Marine Corps base and in the city of San Clemente was 90 percent contained.
Fires that flared dangerously close to homes in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles and in the city of Burbank were knocked down.
