Urgent evacuations in Oracle as Cody Fire spreads rapidly | News

ORACLE, Ariz. (KVOA) – Residents in Oracle, located in Southern Arizona, are facing urgent evacuation orders as the Cody Fire spreads rapidly. The Coronado National Forest reports that more than 1,000 acres have already burned, and the fire remains zero percent contained.

Evacuees were startled by the immediate notification to leave. Amanda Jacquez, one of the evacuees, shared her experience.

“I’m sitting on the front porch. I look over and to the left of me is where the fire started and it just within minutes crossed over. My biggest fear is I have a horse and unfortunately I didn’t have a horse trailer at the moment and that was pretty scary,” said Jacquez. “So when it came down to it time past so fast I made the decision that it was time to go because at that point we got alert on our phones telling us to go now this is serious.”

The fire broke out around 3:30 p.m. and has prompted full suppression efforts with approximately 100 personnel on scene. Additional resources are being dispatched from across Arizona and New Mexico to assist in the firefighting efforts. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Evacuation orders are in place for nearby communities. Many residents are heeding the warnings and leaving the area, according to officials.

“People are getting out which is what we want to see because really a house is a thing and while we have a lot of things and we don’t want to lose them your life is important,” said Starr Farrell, Coronado National Forest Public Affairs Officer.

The Coronado National Forest confirms reports of structures lost in the fire, though details on the types of structures affected remain unclear. Residents in evacuation zones 5 and 13 through 19 are in “Go” status, needing to evacuate immediately. Zones 1 through 4, 6 through 12, and San Manuel are in “Set” status, indicating they should be prepared to leave.