Arizona Wildfires

The southern Arizona veteran-focused crew is the Bureau of Land Management's 13th certified Interagency Hotshot Crew across the nation.

The Johnson Fire in northern Arizona, which triggered evacuation orders this week, is now almost 50% contained, according to officials.

Authorities on Monday afternoon lifted an evacuation order issued a day earlier because of the Johnson Fire near Prescott.

Forest Service investigators in Arizona said a spark from a rock strike during a restoration project started the Museum Fire earlier this summer.

A brush fire closed Interstate 17 about an hour north of Phoenix in both directions for several hours on Wednesday evening.

On one of the hottest days of the year, crews from multiple agencies battled a large brush fire in north Phoenix near Lake Pleasant on Wednesday afternoon.

Southbound Interstate 17 north of the Phoenix area was temporarily shut down Friday because of a brush fire, and traffic in both directions was restricted.

Authorities expect to see full containment by Friday night on the Verde Fire, which has been burning all week about 15 miles northeast of Scottsdale.

A Type 3 incident team on Tuesday took control of a wildfire burning northeast of Scottsdale. The fire has burned 2,690 acres.

Among the hundreds of firefighters, aircraft and engines dispatched to fight a recent wildfire in northern Arizona were two women whose focus wasn't on flames. Their concern was smoke.