PHOENIX — In its history, Arizona has had major wildfires that have scorched large swaths of land, and now new ones are climbing up the list of largest acreage burned.
As of Wednesday, the Telegraph Fire has burned 148,299 acres near the Miami-Globe area, prompting evacuations and threatening nearby communities.
LIVE UPDATES: Latest on Telegraph and Mescal fires burning east of Valley
This total puts the Telegraph Fire in the 6th spot for the largest wildfires in Arizona. Watch an aerial look at the largest wildfires that have burned across our state in the map below.
1. Wallow - 2011 (522,000+acres)
2. Rodeo-Chediski - 2002 (468,000+ acres)
3. Cave Creek Complex - 2005 (243,000+ acres)
4. Horseshoe 2 - 2011 (222,000+ acres)
5. Bush Fire - 2020 (193,000+ acres)
6. Telegraph - 2021 (148,000+ acres and still burning)
7. Woodbury - 2019 (123,000+acres)
8. Bighorn - 2020 (119,000+ acres)
8. Willow - 2004 (119,000+ acres)
10. Aspen - 2003 (84,000+ acres)
The Mescal Fire, burning in tandem with the Telegraph Fire, burned over 72,000 acres, putting it just below the top 10 largest fires. It is now considered an inactive fire.
MAP: See where active Arizona wildfires are burning across the state
LATEST INFORMATION ON TELEGRAPH, MESCAL FIRES
Telegraph Fire:
Size: 180,685 acres
Containment: 67% contained
Evacuations: GO: El Capitan (east and west), Dripping Springs, Wind Spirit, Hagen Ranch, Slash S Ranch, Government Springs. SET: Bellevue, Beverly Hills, Six Shooter, Icehouse. READY: Top-of-the-World, Oak Flat, Superior, Globe, Miami, Claypool, Central Heights, Pinto/Carlotta, Skill Center, Fairgrounds, Schultz Ranch, Battle Axe, Ray Mine, Riverside, Kearny, Winkleman and Hayden.
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Mescal Fire:
Size: 72,250 acres (no longer considered an active fire)
Containment: 88% contained
Evacuations: GO: None. SET: Skill Center, Beverly Hills, T11 Ranch, Lower Peridot, South Peridot. READY: San Carlos, Coyote Flats/San Carlos High School area
LARGEST WILDFIRE IN ARIZONA'S HISTORY: 10 YEARS LATER
The Wallow Fire would go on to become the largest fire in Arizona's history, chewing through homes and land in its path from May 29 until its containment on July 8.
Its smoke could be seen from space.
The fire broke out in 2011, leaving a mark on the land that is still taking time to recover.
ABC15's Katie Raml spoke with officials to find out more about the area's recovery efforts as well as how crews are preparing for any future large wildfires.
Editor's note: A previous version of this story excluded the Bighorn Fire from the top 10 list. It has since been updated with the latest acreage burn amounts.
