|
Authorities
ordered the mandatory evacuations from homes in the rural area
after the wildfire sparked on Saturday afternoon grew to 2,000
acres in the Havasu National Wildlife Refuge, said Bureau of
Land Management spokeswoman Dolores Garcia.
As of late Saturday, an undermined number of structures had been
burned, Garcia added.
The American Red Cross had set up a shelter for displaced
residents.
"This is a major one and we're aggressively trying to fight it,"
Garcia said of the fast-moving fire.
About 300 firefighters were called in to battle the so-called
Willow Fire on the ground and in the air as the blaze roared
through trees, grass and brush in Mohave Valley, south of
Bullhead City, Arizona.
Billowing smoke from the fire was appearing on radar, officials
said. There was no estimate for how long it would take to
contain the fire, Garcia said, and no injuries have been
reported. The cause remains under investigation.
(Editing by Chris Michaud, Robert Birsel)
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
|
|
