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Raging fire forces evacuation in parts of Arizona

Don Sandy (left) watches the Goodwin Fire as seen from his house in the town of Mayer on Tuesday, June 27, 2017. Mayer was later evacuated. (Photo via azcentral.com)

Hundreds of people have been evacuated from their homes in some parts of the US state of Arizona due to the rapidly spreading Goodwin Fire.

The almost 1,400 residents of Mayer in Yavapai County were forced to leave their community on Tuesday evening when the fire was 1 mile west of the town.

The glow from the Goodwin Fire on Tuesday night, June 27, 2017, near Prescott across from the command center at BMMS. (Photo via azcentral.com)

People in several other smaller residential areas were also evacuated as the fire continued its progression.

According to the data, the fire has burned approximately 13,000 acres, three times the size predicted by an infrared mapping flight Monday night.

More than 500 fire fighters were on the scene with helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft dropping fire retardant from above, according to the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management.

The cause of the fire, which started on Saturday 14 miles south of Prescott, was still under investigation.

With only 20 percent of the blaze contained by Tuesday morning the fire was spreading fast in the afternoon with winds blowing at 8 to 15 mph.

Roads have been blocked and communication has been disrupted, with officials saying that the fire is especially difficult to fight because it is roaring through trees and brush which have grown untouched for nearly 40 years.

Overnight Tuesday through Wednesday morning, firefighters were establishing a perimeter around Mayer with bulldozers carving fire breaks.

"This is a risky mission and we have to be very calculated in our decisions," Pete Gordon, fire chief for Prescott National Forest, told a crowd that gathered at a Prescott Valley high school Tuesday night to get the latest news on the progress of the flames.

"We want to protect the lives of firefighters and the lives of residents.That is our utmost concern,"  Gordon added.


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