LOS ANGELES, June 22 (Xinhua) -- Over 20 huge wildfires burning in the state of Arizona on Tuesday have triggered massive evacuations and road closures, the U.S. Forest Service's monitoring system Inciweb reported.
The largest, dubbed the Telegraph Fire and burning in the state's Tonto National Forest, has so far scorched 180,685 acres (731.2 square km) and is 87-percent contained, after growing just 119 acres (0.5 square km) since Sunday, Inciweb updated Tuesday night.
The fire started on June 10 in Pinal County on the periphery of the Top-of-the-World, a 250-person community 142 km east of the state capital Phoenix, then merged with the Mescal Fire last week. It has become the sixth-largest wildfire in Arizona history.
Many parts of State Route 77, a state highway, were closed due to the fire. Five communities were evacuated while at least 20 others were advised Tuesday to stand by for evacuation.
The Pinnacle Fire, burning in southeastern Arizona, spread to 34,192 acres (138.4 square km) with 42 percent containment by Tuesday night, Inciweb reported, warning it could grow out of current containment efforts in high temperatures and low humidity.
The Rafael Fire, discovered Friday in north-central Arizona, grew from Sunday's 400 acre (1.6 square km) to 24,064 acres (97.4 square km)on Tuesday without containment due to strong winds, low humidity and difficult terrain.
Meanwhile, the Slate Fire, found earlier this month 37 km northwest of Flagstaff in northern Arizona, had been 85 percent contained, Inciweb said, adding it had burned down 11,435 acres(46.3 square km).
Another huge wildfire is the Backbone Fire, which was first reported last Wednesday about 120 km southeast of Flagstaff, a city with over 70,000 residents. As of Tuesday, the fire ravaged 37,296 acres (150.9 square km)and was not at all contained.
Local authorities warned that wildfire season in Arizona has just begun and active fire behavior was expected to continue as temperatures continue to rise.
They also indicated that at least three of the blazes burning across the state were caused by lightning, so the monsoon in Arizona, which is officially underway, would add to the danger.
