PHOENIX (AP) - The Latest on wildfires burning in the Western U.S. (all times local):
6:10 p.m.
Firefighters have beaten back a wildfire that threatened dozens of homes in the foothills north of Los Angeles.
Evacuation orders were issued for more than 50 homes Wednesday afternoon as flames surged up toward pricey hilltop homes in the Verdugo Hills area of Burbank.
Flames fueled by tinder-dry grass and brush burned right up to the yards of some homes but the blaze was held to about 10 acres and is now 80 percent contained.
Meanwhile, crews are trying to corral a 1,600-acre fire in Central California that destroyed the home of “Big Bang Theory” star Johnny Galecki.
Two other buildings burned in San Luis Obispo County, where the fire is 65 percent contained after scorching 2 ½ -square miles of grass and 12-foot-high chaparral.
East of Los Angeles, a nearly 10-square-mile fire near Beaumont is 43 percent contained.
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4:45 p.m.
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey plans to travel to areas north of Phoenix where a major wildfire has prompted thousands of evacuations.
The governor’s office says Ducey plans to travel to Yavapai County on Thursday to talk to firefighters and people who have been evacuated from several small communities near Prescott.
Ducey cut short a visit to Aspen, Colorado, on Wednesday to fly back to Arizona and oversee the state’s emergency response to the fire.
He said the next 24 hours will be critical and the state will provide whatever support is necessary.
Over 600 firefighters are battling the wind-driven blaze that has burned more than 32 square miles (83 square kilometers) of wildland. Residents of Mayer, Dewey-Humboldt and other areas have been evacuated.
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3:50 p.m.
A fire in the foothills north of Los Angeles is burning right up to homes and prompting evacuations.
Several homes are under mandatory evacuation orders in the Verdugo Hills area of Burbank, where flames are racing uphill through tinder-dry grass Wednesday afternoon.
No homes have been reported destroyed but flames have been spotted in or near backyards.
Meanwhile, crews are trying to corral a 1,600-acre fire in Central California that destroyed the home of a “Big Bang Theory” star Johnny Galecki.
Two other buildings burned in San Luis Obispo County, where the fire is 65 percent contained after scorching 2 ½ -square miles of grass and 12-foot-high chaparral.
East of Los Angeles, a nearly 10-square-mile fire near Beaumont is 43 percent contained.
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3:30 p.m.
Forest officials say over a dozen campgrounds and other recreation areas have been closed because of a wildfire in Arizona.
Prescott National Forest officials said Wednesday they are canceling reservations for the next two weeks and freezing any new ones.
The cancelations will force campers who hoped to spend Fourth of July weekend in the area to make other plans.
The closures in Yavapai County came after a wildfire grew to 32 square miles (83 square kilometers) and forced thousands of evacuations.
Some areas and subdivisions are under pre-evacuation notices.
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey declared a state of emergency in the county and directed $200,000 in emergency funds to fire suppression efforts and reimbursements for emergency response and recovery costs.
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1:30 p.m.
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey has declared a state of emergency in Yavapai County, where a wildfire has grown to 32 square miles (83 square kilometers) and forced thousands of evacuations.
The declaration Wednesday directs $200,000 in emergency funds to fire suppression efforts and reimbursements for emergency response and recovery costs.
It’s also is a key requirement should federal aid resources be requested.
The fire about 100 miles north of Phoenix has forced the evacuation of Mayer and parts of Dewey-Humboldt along with several other communities. Some areas and subdivisions are under pre-evacuation notices.
The fire is burning around Prescott, a mountain city that draws a mix of desert dwellers escaping the heat, retirees and visitors to its famed Old West-themed Whiskey Row.
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1:10 p.m.
Fire officials say a wildfire in Arizona has grown to 32 square miles (83 square kilometers) and forced more evacuations.
Spokeswoman Tiffany Davila says the fire about 100 miles (160.9 kilometers) north of Phoenix forced the evacuation of Mayer and parts of Dewey-Humboldt along with several other communities. Some areas and subdivisions are under pre-evacuation notices.
Davila says winds are blowing the fire toward those areas.
The fire is burning around Prescott, a mountain city that draws a mix of desert dwellers escaping the heat, retirees and visitors to its famed Old West-themed Whiskey Row.
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10:45 a.m.
A wildfire in northern Arizona has grown to 32 square miles (83 square kilometers) and more residents are preparing for possible evacuations.
Authorities say it is possible that several structures have burned but it’s too dangerous for officials to assess the damage. The fire southeast of Prescott has forced the evacuation of Mayer, Arizona, and several nearby towns and subdivisions.
The fire zone is about 75 miles (120 kilometers) north of Phoenix and residents of another small town are readying to leave their homes.
Zerril Perkins in Dewey-Humboldt says he can smell the fire and is worried it is headed in his direction.
Perkins is one of many locals preparing for a possible evacuation.
Perkins and his wife received their second Yavapai County red alert detailing a potential evacuation from the town Wednesday morning. He said they are packed and ready to head to Phoenix if necessary.
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9:25 a.m.
Fire officials in southern Idaho say quick responses to more than 20 wildfires sparked by thunderstorms in recent days have helped prevent small fires from turning into the type of giant fires that have scorched the region in recent decades.
About 10 wildfires remained active Wednesday in grass and brush with one of the largest in southeastern Idaho just north of the Utah border.
That 6-square-mile (16-square-kilometer) wildfire temporarily closed Interstate 84 on Tuesday afternoon but traffic resumed in the evening.
Officials say crews have stopped the fire from advancing and on Wednesday were trying to put out areas still burning or smoldering within the fire’s perimeter.
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8:50 a.m.
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey says the growing wildfire in northern Arizona near the site of a fire four years ago that killed 19 firefighters is the state’s top priority.
Ducey said in a statement Wednesday that his office is receiving constant updates from state fire officials. He said the next 24 hours will be critical and that the state will provide whatever support is necessary.
Over 600 firefighters are battling the blaze that has already burned over 28 square miles (73 square kilometers). The fire started on Saturday and fire officials are still investigating what ignited it.
Residents of the communities of Mayer, Poland Junction and Chaparral Hills have been evacuated.
Parts of two state highways are closed because of the fire.
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8:40 a.m.
Residents of a northern Arizona town that has been evacuated say they struggled to leave behind their homes.
The Arizona Republic (https://bit.ly/2uixPQi) reports that Mayer, Arizona, resident Terry Jackson put a garden hose to the roof after local authorities told him he had to evacuate. Jackson said his home is all he has and he has to protect it.
Pam Baker, who lives next door in the northern Arizona town southeast of Prescott, wet the thick brown grass around her home but resisted leaving.
The fire has burned over 28 square miles (73 square kilometers). More than 500 firefighters were battling the blaze that’s near the small town where 19 members of an elite firefighting unit were killed while battling a blaze four years ago.
Another stubborn wildfire is burning in southern Utah.
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8:20 a.m.
Authorities say a southern Utah wildfire that’s destroyed more than a dozen homes and forced 1,500 people to evacuate has grown again.
Firefighters said Wednesday the fire near the ski resort town of Brian Head grew by nearly 6 square miles (10 square kilometers), even though winds weren’t quite as fierce as they feared. It had burned more than 83 square miles (134 square kilometers) as of Tuesday.
With the wind predicted to pick up again and gust up to 30 mph (48 kph), Wednesday could be another tough day for fire crews.
Fire managers say they are starting to get a handle on the blaze close to a highway that’s been closed for days, and are working toward reopening it.
Officials have said the fire was started June 17 by someone using a weed-burning torch.
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7:20 a.m.
California is free of extreme fire danger warnings after a long period of high heat but firefighters are still working to contain wildland blazes up and down the state, including one that destroyed the home of a “Big Bang Theory” star.
Nicole Perna, a spokeswoman actor Johnny Galecki, confirmed his home on a ranch was destroyed by a blaze in rural San Luis Obispo County.
The 2.5-square-mile fire (4-square-kilometer) fire was 60 percent contained Wednesday morning.
A 9-square-mile (15-square-kilometer) fire is California’s largest current blaze in an inland region about 80 miles (130 kilometers) east of Los Angeles. Firefighters have established containment lines around about a quarter of the fire.
Evacuation warnings remain in effect for a few small communities.
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6:35 a.m.
A wildfire burning through a dense Arizona forest has forced hundreds of people from their homes, closed a major road and created a huge plume of smoke over an area devastated by a blaze four years ago that killed 19 firefighters.
The fire near the small city of Prescott was fanned by 35 mph (56 kph) winds and has charred more than 28 square miles (73 square kilometers). More than 500 firefighters were battling the blaze.
The blaze forced the evacuation of the town of Mayer along with several other mountain communities in the area. One of the main roads into Prescott was closed. Mayer has about 1,400 residents.
Many residents have painful memories of a 2013 wildfire that killed 19 members of a Prescott-based hotshot firefighting crew almost exactly four years ago.
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6 a.m.
Utah firefighters braced Wednesday for more high winds as they try to slow a stubborn wildfire that has burned 13 homes and forced the evacuation of 1,500 people from a ski resort town. Another wildfire in Arizona forced the evacuation of a town with about 1,400 residents.
Firefighters hope to douse areas with intense blazes at the Utah fire’s southern end so residents can return to homes in the town of Brian Head. Homes there have been evacuated since June 17 since authorities said the fire was started by someone using a torch tool to burn weeds on private land.
The fire is the largest in the nation at 78 square miles (201 square kilometers).
The Arizona wildfire charred more than 28 square miles (73 square kilometers) and forced the evacuation of the town of Mayer and other areas as a precaution.
Crews in California were making gains against two new fires that spread quickly. Firefighters in Idaho battled five lightning-sparked wildfires burning in grass and brush.
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