Story at a glance
- The Telegraph Fire, which has been burning since June 4 near the town of Superior, has torn through 148,299 acres with 59 percent containment.
- Fire officials on Wednesday said the Telegraph Fire has merged with the Mescal Fire to the east, which was sparked on June 1 southeast of the city of Globe.
- Several communities have been forced to evacuate.
Arizona firefighters are still working to try and contain one of the worst wildfires in the state’s history.
The Telegraph Fire, which has been burning since June 4 near the town of Superior east of metro Phoenix, has torn through 148,299 acres with 59 percent containment, according to wildfire tracking website InciWeb.
The massive blaze has damaged 22 structures and grew by more than 25,000 acres since Tuesday as extremely dry conditions and high winds fueled the flames, according to The Arizona Republic.
Officials believe the blaze was likely sparked by people, although the cause is still under investigation. More than 1,000 fire personnel are fighting the blaze.
Fire officials on Wednesday said the Telegraph Fire has merged with the Mescal Fire to the east, which was sparked on June 1 southeast of the city of Globe. The wildfire has burned 72,250 acres and was 90 percent contained as of Wednesday.
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“Mescal crews continue to mop up working toward full containment. The Telegraph Fire managers are utilizing the Mescal Fire burn area and containment line and features tactically to their advantage because it has already burned,” wildfire tracking website InciWeb states.
Evacuation orders have been issued for the communities of El Capitan, Dripping Springs, Wind Spirit, Hagen Ranch, Slash S Ranch and Government Springs due to the blazes.
The Telegraph Fire is the sixth-largest in Arizona history.
The fires come as most of Arizona is experiencing “exceptional” drought conditions, the most severe level of drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
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