Fire crews continued to battle a brush fire Monday morning near Cave Creek that has now grown to 1,500 acres, causing evacuations of nearby homes, according to the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management. 

The East Desert Fire has burned through 1,500 acres with about 20% containment and remained so as of Monday afternoon. It is moving east-northeast toward Cahava Springs near the town of Cave Creek, fire officials said. 

According to Tiffany Davila, a spokesperson for the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management, about 130 homes in Cahava Springs were evacuated overnight and only two people needed housing provided by the Red Cross. 

“At this time, because of the evacuation, there will be no one allowed back into those areas for a while,” Davila said. “Due to the equipment in the area, due to the use of aircraft and of course the fire threat, we will not let people back into the area for some time.” 

Mandatory evacuations were ordered for homes in the area of Morning Star Road to the north, Ocotillo to the south, 55th Street to the east and 48th Street to the west, according to the town of Cave Creek on Facebook. 

The Emergency Evacuation Center for the fire is located at the main gym at the Cactus Shadows High School. People are asked to bring a mask and practice social distancing, according to the Facebook post. 

The fire began Sunday in the area of 26th Street and East Desert Hills Drive in Cave Creek and is burning about 2 miles away from the Tonto National Forest, Davila said.

Cave Creek Mayor Ernie Bunch declared an emergency in Cave Creek, according to the Facebook post. 

“The emergency operations plans have been activated in order to mitigate the effects of this emergency,” the Facebook post said.

By the end of Monday, Davila said there should be about 400 personnel fighting the fire including 10 extra engines and more aircraft. 

“The objective for today is to keep the fire away from the Tonto National Forest,” Davila said. 

The cause of the fire is still being determined, but so far officials believe that it was human caused.

Fire crews are working to box in the fire, keeping it east of 26th Street and Saddle Mountain Road, west of the Cave Creek drainage, north of New River Road, and south of the Tonto National Forest, while also ensuring firefighter and public safety with COVID-19 protocols, according to the town of Cave Creek. 

Weather conditions fuel fire danger

The National Weather Service in Flagstaff warns that there are critical fire conditions in effect throughout Monday and Tuesday with wind gusts around 35-50 miles per hour. 

“It looks like today and Tuesday will have the strongest winds,” said Austin Jameson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Phoenix. “We’ll have lighter winds on Wednesday and Thursday.”

Jameson said the winds will pick up on the weekend but not nearly as much as Monday and Tuesday. According to the National Weather Service, there are going to be cooler temperatures throughout the week, but high temperatures will climb back up to upper 90s by the end of the week. 

Jameson said the winds and hot, dry air spread the fire along. 

“The stronger the wind and dryer the air, the easier that fire spreads,” Jameson said. 

Davila encourages that people be careful during this time, especially in grassy areas. 

“We went from 400 to 1,500 in a few hours,” Davila said. “It’s important for the public to pay attention to what they are doing outside.”

According to Jameson, many wildfires are man-made and avoiding certain activities “can go a long way to preventing fires.” 

Reach the breaking news reporter at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter @TinaMGiuliano.

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