Greer Fire forces evacuations in eastern Arizona

GREER, Ariz. – Some residents in eastern Arizona have been ordered to evacuate due to a new wildfire.

What we know:

Greer and South Fork residents in Apache County should evacuate their homes now, according to the Northeastern Arizona Public Information System.

They have been placed in GO Alert status.

The fire sparked on May 13 and has grown to 3,659 acres, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. Multiple structures have reportedly been destroyed.

Power has been temporarily shut off in the Greer area, Navopache Electric Cooperative said.

All evacuees can go to the Round Valley High School Dome, located at 555 N. Butler Street in Eagar. Those with RV’s or large animals can go to the Round Valley Rodeo Grounds in Springerville.

As a result of the fire, officials with Round Valley Unified School District announced that the district will have a digital learning day instead of an in-person school day.

State Route 260 is closed in both directions between mileposts 385 and 396 near Greer.

The towns of Eagar and Springerville released a joint Declaration of Emergency in the area. Meanwhile, Navajo and Apache Counties have been placed under Stage 2 fire restrictions.

Additionally, law enforcement is going door-to-door in Eagar to notify residents who are in SET Status.

What we don’t know:

It’s unknown if anyone has been hurt. The cause of the fire is unknown.

The backstory:

The Wallow Fire in 2011 is widely recognized as the largest wildfire in the history of Arizona. It burned in roughly the same area the Greer Fire is burning.

In one week, from May 29, 2011 to June 6, the Wallow Fire became the third largest in the history of the state. It wasn’t completely contained until July 8, 2011.

More than 500,000 acres of forest were burned in the area. 

Map of where the fire is burning

This is a developing story. Stay with us for updates.

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