PHOENIX — Firefighters worked to control a fast-moving fire that sparked just north of Interstate 17 and Carefree Highway on Tuesday afternoon.
It was called the Aquila Fire.
The Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management said early Wednesday that the fire burned 897 acres and was 5% contained.
People who were evacuated were allowed to return to their homes at 3 p.m. Wednesday.
The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office and Daisy Mountain Fire and Medical both said Wednesday that crews were able to extinguish the fire.
All residents from I-17 to 19th Avenue between Desert Hills Drive and Cloud Drive were asked to evacuate.
Officials said it was a 5-alarm fire, and all available firefighters across the North Valley responded when it first broke out on Tuesday.
Firefighters said the heat coupled with high winds created dangerous conditions for spreading fire.
“Hot, dry and windy conditions which were a perfect storm for this thing to take off on us,” Capt. Mark Vanacore with Phoenix Fire said.
Multiple agencies worked furiously to protect nearby homes and structures, but at least one home and two secondary structures were destroyed.
The Phoenix Fire Department said crews halted the fire's progress as of 7:45 p.m. Tuesday. Firefighters will continue to monitor the area and mop up into Wednesday.
No injuries have been reported. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
The Red Cross set up an evacuation center at Boulder Creek High School at 40404 N Gavilan Peak Parkway in Anthem.
Firefighters said about 1,600 people in the area are without power because of the fire.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency also authorized the use of federal funds to fight the fire.
At the time of the request, the agency said, the fire threatened about 400 homes near the Desert Hill, Anthem and Cave Creek communities. It also threatened commercial infrastructure, including schools, fire stations, churches, a shopping center, and an above ground gas line.
The moment the fire broke, Amber Laporte and her family headed for the Red Cross shelter in Anthem and watched air tanker jets and helicopters try to save their neighborhood.
“My kids called me today while I was at work and told me there was a fire so yeah, I trucked it,” she said.
“Everybody was out parked on the sides of the roads knowing that they had to be out of their homes but not quite wanting to go.”
Meanwhile, as air tankers dropped retardant from above, trucks and trailers lined Cloud Road waiting to rescue the pride of the neighborhood.
"Most of the homes have horses or animals, it's tough to get in and out especially when you've got all these people trying to get out at the same time," said volunteer Lisa Joyce.
Joyce jumped into action after she heard the fire was quickly approaching her neighbor's place.
"A lady was walking two horses out, we helped get them and went back for a third and she said her house was on fire," she said.
Tempe Firefighter Dale Huddleston initially thought his family would be in the clear.
"Suddenly the winds changed, and it started coming up over the hill and pushing towards our house," Huddleston explained.
Aquila Fire
Huddleston quickly rounded up his family only to be caught by tankers dropping pink retardant right on his white pickup.
"Just got slurry bombed along with our cars and trucks and everything," he said.
But those airdrops and buckets of water from helicopters helped protect plenty of homes, giving Joyce and others hope that they can save their livestock.
"We're just hoping we can get in there and these poor firefighters can get this fire out catch a break," Joyce said.
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