BAGDAD, AZ — A wildfire that sparked Thursday afternoon in Bagdad, Arizona -- a mining town about 90 minutes west of Prescott -- destroyed at least 20 structures, including 13 homes, and forced the evacuation of the entire town.
Arizona State Forestry says forward progress was stopped Thursday night on the Spur Fire, which burned about 150 acres. Officials say the fire is currently 90% contained as of Sunday, and the evacuation order for the town of Bagdad has been lifted as of Friday afternoon.
#SpurFire in #Bagdad at 90% containment- 150 acres. All state & federal resources released. #AZForestry turned fire back over to local district. Final update on Spur unless there is significant change. The human caused fire started Thrs. & destroyed multiple structures. #AZFire pic.twitter.com/K8AVXtKuY6
— AZ State Forestry (@azstateforestry) May 30, 2021
The fire was being fueled mainly by dry grass and brush.
Our helicopter crew on Thursday afternoon reported seeing more than a dozen homes were either actively on fire or heavily damaged, some completely destroyed.
Arizona State Forestry officials said 13 homes and more than 10 secondary structures have been confirmed destroyed. A utility infrastructure has also been damaged.
YCSO says the initial investigation shows that the fire may have been started by a road construction crew.
Watch aerials from Air15 that were recorded Thursday:
Air15 video showed the charred remains of several structures, while smoke and flames were seen rising out of others around 5 p.m. Thursday. Ladder trucks were seen dousing water on structures, while a fire retardant was dropped on other areas. A helicopter was also using a bucket to carry water to certain areas.
Power was cut in the town as lines were de-energized for safety purposes, according to the Arizona State Forestry Department. Phone lines were also out as the fire burned through the fiber optic cables.
