Latest news with #TontoNationalForest
Yahoo
11-08-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Residents in 2 communities told to evacuate due to growing Billy Fire in central Arizona
The Billy Fire in Gila County prompted new evacuation orders for some residents, according to officials with the U.S. Forest Service Tonto National Forest. The fire, located about 15 miles south of Young in central Arizona, spread across 8,869 acres and was 22% contained, according to the Forest Service in a Facebook post Aug. 10. The fire started July 9 and was caused by lightning, the Forest Service said. Evacuation orders were upgraded to "go" status for residents in Murphy Ranch and Ellison Ranch, located in southwestern Gila County, meaning they had to evacuate immediately, according to the Forest Service. Residents that remained in "set" pre-evacuation status included Elk's Camp, Trachta Ranch, Circle Ranch, Johnson Ranch, and Cook Ranch, meaning those in the area had to be ready to leave at the notice of authorities, the Forest Service said. State Route 288 was closed to all traffic from mile marker 298.3 to mile marker 276, south of Young, starting at 5 p.m. Aug. 10, according to the Forest Service. It was set to be closed until the smoke cleared in the morning. "Outside of these hours, pilot cars will be used to guide safe passage when smoke and roadside hazards are minimized," the Forest Service posted on Facebook. "During the closure hours, please plan an alternate route." The burn area was closed, while the rest of the forest was under stage 2 fire restrictions that prohibited campfires, smoking or firing a gun, the Forest Service said. Only propane devices were allowed to be used. A high temperature between 79 to 83 degrees was expected for Aug. 10 along with up to 30% humidity and a 30% chance of rain, according to the Forest Service. Western winds were expected between two and six mph with gusts up to 20 mph, the forest service said. The fire was burning on steep, rocky terrain that was difficult for ground crews to access, according to the Forest Service. Air attack crews were able to drop about 28,000 gallons of water on the fire, helping to temper the speed and heat of the flames, the Forest Service said. Leftover hazardous materials from past mining operations were also in the area, according to the Forest Service. Another shift of firefighters was set to begin operations the night of Aug. 10, allowing crews to work in the cooler, more favorable fire conditions, the Forest Service said. A total of 445 personnel, three helicopters, 10 crews and nine medical crews were assigned to the fire, according to the Forest Service. A public meeting was scheduled for 4 p.m. on Aug. 11 at the Pleasant Valley Community Center, located near State Route 288 and Midway Avenue in Young, the Forest Service said. Rey Covarrubias Jr. reports breaking news for The Arizona Republic and Email him at: rcovarrubias@ and connect with him on Instagram, Threads, Bluesky and X (formerly Twitter) at @ReyCJrAZ. (This story has been updated to add more information.) This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Residents in central Arizona told to evacuate due to month-long fire Solve the daily Crossword
E&E News
09-06-2025
- Politics
- E&E News
Judge declines to block Arizona copper mine
A federal judge on Monday declined to intervene in the advancement of a massive copper mine in Arizona opposed by tribal members but did give opponents some breathing room. Judge Dominic Lanza in the District Court for the District of Arizona denied two requests for a preliminary injunction to halt a federal land swap that would lead to the mine being built. But Lanza also ruled that the Forest Service cannot move ahead with the land exchange until 60 days after completing and issuing a final environmental impact statement. 'The Court concludes that, under these unusual circumstances, the appropriate course of action is to preclude the Forest Service from proceeding with the land exchange until 60 days after the issuance of the FEIS,' Lanza wrote. 'The legal basis for this order is simple—during oral argument, all defendants agreed to (or agreed not to oppose) such a period of delay.' Advertisement Lanza's ruling is the result of a legal fight that the San Carlos Apache Tribe and groups like the Arizona Mining Reform Coalition have led since 2021 in hopes of killing the mining project, which they say will destroy a holy site known as Oak Flat in the Tonto National Forest. The land exchange was originally included in the 2014 National Defense Authorization Act and championed by the late Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona.
Fox News
07-06-2025
- Fox News
Third teen death in national forest raises alarm as two high schoolers found shot during camping trip
High school students Pandora Kjolsrud and Evan Clark were found dead in a remote area of Arizona on May 27, marking the second and third teenagers found dead in Tonto National Forest since February. Kjolsrud, 18, and Clark, 17, were both found shot to death on May 27 near Mount Ord in the Tonto National Forest, north of Mesa, Arizona. A spokesperson for the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office told Fox News Digital that the deaths are being investigated as homicides. The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office said it's "actively" investigating the deaths, but didn't release additional details. According to Fox 10, the Arcadia High School students were on a camping trip when they were found shot to death. The remains of Emily Pike, 14, were found on Feb. 14 in Tonto National Park, 19 miles north of Globe, Arizona. She went missing from a group home in January, according to Fox 10, which reported her death was treated as a homicide. Her body was found dismembered more than 70 miles away from the group home she was reported missing from. No arrests have been made in connection with Pike's death. The FBI and several local law enforcement agencies are investigating her death. There has not been any connection made between the two cases, according to the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office. A GoFundme for Kjolsrud's family says the 18-year-old "had a vivacious personality with an infectious smile that brought joy to so many." "She was a beautiful human being and a bright light in this world who loved every single person she met and had a unique ability to make every person feel special," the GoFundme stated. In a message attached to a fundraiser, Sandra Malibu Sweeney, Clark's mother, said that he "wasn't a typical teenager." "He was funny, bright, kind and entrepreneurial. He was an old soul who was sensitive and loving. Evan wrote me letters, the last of which he gave me on Mother's Day that was so touching it made me both laugh and cry. He was special. He deserved a long life." A community member who spoke with Fox 10 said she wants answers about Kjolsrud and Clark's deaths. "It's really scary that it's just so close to home and then their family. That's the next thing you think about. It's like, what are they going through? What happened to them? Are they going to get answers?" one community member said.
New York Times
02-06-2025
- General
- New York Times
Police Seek Answers in Fatal Shooting of Teen Campers in Arizona National Forest
Nearly a week after two teenagers were found fatally shot in what police believed to be homicides at a remote camping spot in Arizona, it was still not clear what had led to their deaths, deputies said on Monday. The teenagers — Pandora Kjolsrud, 18, and Evan Clark, 17 — were high school friends who just finished the 11th grade and had gone camping at Tonto National Forest after the end of the school year, according to relatives. On May 27, deputies in Maricopa County responding to a call found their bodies off State Route 87 between Mesa and Payson, Ariz., the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office and the medical examiner's office said on Monday. They 'lost their lives due to gunshot wounds,' a statement from the sheriff's office said. 'At this time, the circumstances surrounding their deaths are being treated as suspicious,' the statement said, adding that they were treating the killings as homicides. Medical examiner's records said that Ms. Kjolsrud and Mr. Clark had died on May 26. There were no further details. A spokesman for the sheriff's office, Sgt. Joaquin Enriquez, said in an email on Monday that the bodies were found near Mount Ord, a mountain in Tonto National Forest on the northeastern edge of the county. People camp in the wilderness in that area because there are no developed campgrounds. There was no further information on Monday as the homicide investigation continued, a separate statement from the sheriff's office said. Simone Kjolsrud said in a brief telephone conversation that her daughter had been a student at Arcadia High School in Phoenix. A representative for the family said in a statement that Pandora loved camping and being outdoors and that they were 'heartbroken' by her loss. Sandra Sweeney, Evan's mother, said in a phone call on Monday that her son had left for to the remote area on May 25 at the start of summer break at Arcadia High School. She added that after she did not hear from him for several days, she drove up to the mountain to search. 'I decided to go to the location where my son was, drove to the top and saw nothing,' she said. She learned on Tuesday that he had died, she said. Ms. Sweeney said she and her son were close. In his last letter to her on Mother's Day, he wrote: 'You are the best mother and I'm forever in debt and grateful to you.'
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Heading back from a trip up north? Southbound SR 87 closed due to a brush fire near Payson
Drivers heading back home from a weekend up north should be aware of a road closure on southbound State Route 87 south of Payson. The roadway was blocked at milepost 242 due to a brush fire, according to a post on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, from the Arizona Department of Transportation. There is no estimated time for the road to reopen, ADOT said. Tonto National Forest fire crews were working on the brush fire with no state resources available at the moment, according to Tiffany Davila with the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management. Motorists can check the AZ511 app or call 511 to see real-time highway conditions. This is a developing story. Stay tuned for updates. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Traffic alert: Brush fire closes southbound SR 87 south of Payson
