Officials shut down part of Tonto National Forest to fight Wildcat Fire near Bartlett Lake

The U.S. Forest Service shut down a portion of the Tonto National Forest northeast of Scottsdale on Saturday night after a fast-growing fire expanded from 500 to roughly 5,000 acres within 24 hours.

The Wildcat Fire, which is burning in the Cave Creek Ranger District located north of Dynamite Boulevard and 136th Street near Vista Verde, was 0% contained as of Sunday, Tonto National Forest spokesperson Mike Reichling said.

Roughly 200 people were fighting the fire, including multiple hotshot crews and three crews from the Arizona Department of Corrections, he said.

By Sunday evening, the fire had spanned at least 13,000 acres with zero containment, according to officials.

The closure takes immediate effect, banning individuals from entering the area for roughly a month. Exceptions exist for individuals with certain Forest Service permits and for federal, state and local officials involved in firefighting or an organized rescue, according to a statement from the U.S. Forest Service.

"The public is urged to stay away from the area so as not to impede fire suppression operations and for the safety of themselves and firefighters," officials said Sunday.

The area is bounded by Cave Creek Road to the west and Bartlett Lake to the east, with Humboldt Mountain at the northernmost edge and the southernmost edge approaching the Verde River, according to a map from the U.S. Forest Service.

Craig Watson was nearing the end of his camping trip at Tonto National Forest when he first came across the flames on Saturday.

At the time, he said, the fire was very small. But when he returned several hours later it had crossed the road and grown considerably.

“Everything was engulfed,” he said.

By Sunday, Watson was working to get his camping gear out of the area including a 38-foot trailer and paddle board.

Brandyn Scovill came to Bartlett Lake on Saturday with Matty Deskins and his son Casey for a day of jet skiing.

They said they saw smoke from afar early in the day but didn’t think much of it. Before 3 p.m., the trio drove out of the area to get lunch discovering the fire had moved in around the main road. They said they could feel the heat from the flames on the windows as they passed by charred trees and shrubs.

“I was nervous to see how people were going to react,” Deskins said. The group was among dozens of vehicles leaving the lake.

He said the stream of cars ran down Bartlett Dam Road, at one point coming to a dead stop. Once traffic continued, the three eventually made their way back home to Chandler. They returned on Sunday to retrieve a car and jet skis left behind.

Much of the fire’s speed could be attributed to Saturday’s windy conditions said Brad Widhalm, a Tonto National Forest spokesperson.

“We had so many battling winds, Widhalm said.

Hotshot crews focused on the northern perimeter on Saturday, concerned the fire could spread into dry brush and grow even more. Widhalm said firefighters successfully stopped the fire from getting to that point but are still working at 0% containment. Officials will release a new containment analysis Monday, he said.

Officials also cautioned that the public should avoid traveling through the area of the wildfire as well as flying drones near it in case they might interfere with aircraft fighting the fire.

“Remember, drones and firefighting aircraft are a dangerous mix and could lead to accidents or slow down wildfire suppression operations,” the Tonto National Forest wrote on Facebook. “If you fly, we can’t.”

The fire was reported Saturday morning before 9:30 a.m. The blaze forced the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office to close Bartlett Dam Road, which connects Cave Creek Road to Bartlett Lake, as the wildfire was burning on both sides of the road, according to the Tonto National Forest.

Authorities urged the public to sign up for the Maricopa County Emergency Notification System to receive prompt alerts about emergency evacuations.

Visitors were escorted from Bartlett Lake due to the wildfire Saturday morning, but Sgt. Joaquin Enriquez, with Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, said there are no additional evacuation orders as of Sunday morning.

"The fire is not threatening any occupied structures at this time. MCSO has closed roads due to the fire but that’s it at this time," Enriquez said.

Crews responding Sunday included: the Mormon Lake, Geronimo, Prescott, and Globe Interagency hotshot crews as well as Perryville, Lewis and Superstition crews, Reichling said.

The National Weather Service on Saturday said satellite imagery showed the smoke plume from the Wildcat Fire was drifting northeast over parts of the High Country, including the Payson area.

On Sunday, winds were moving around 10 mph with gusts up to 20 mph heading southwest, according to the National Weather Service.

Taylor Seely is a reporter for The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. Reach her at [email protected] or by phone at 480-476-6116.

Helen Rummel is a reporter for The Arizona Republic. Reach her at [email protected]. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @helenrummel.

Madeline Nguyen contributed to this report. Nguyen is a breaking news reporter at The Republic. Reach her at [email protected] or 480-619-0285. Follow her on X @madelineynguyen.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Wildcat Fire burns 13,000 acres in Tonto National Forest