Wildfire east of Phoenix has grown to 150 square miles
(U.S. Forest Service-Tonto National Forest via Facebook)
SUPERIOR, Ariz. — A human-caused wildfire burning for more than two weeks in a national forest east of metro Phoenix now has grown to 150 square miles (388 square kilometers).
Fire officials say the blaze grew overnight by nearly 22 square miles from Saturday into Sunday.
That’s after about a 25 square mile increase from Friday night into Saturday.
A fire spokeswoman says containment has slipped from 34% to 24% because of the acreage increases.
Authorities are hopeful the fire will stop after it runs out of fuel in burnout areas.
No homes have been damaged since the fire was spotted June 8 about 5 miles northwest of Superior, a mining town of fewer than 3,000 residents located 60 miles (96 kilometers) east of Phoenix.
