Horse Fire near Prescott burns nearly 9,000 acres

The Horse Fire continues to burn near Prescott, reaching nearly 9,000 acres Sunday, and it has a high spread potential, according to Prescott National Forest officials.

The Southwest Area Type 1 Incident Management Team took command of the fire response Sunday. The fire is burning seven miles northwest of Crown King and 18 miles south of Prescott, officials said in a statement. Residents in Crown King and other nearby areas are under evacuation.

The fire is 0% contained and has grown to 8,950 acres. Officials said record dryness and hot temperatures contribute to the challenges in containing this fire.

Officials said the fire is in “very remote areas” of the Prescott National Forest, making it difficult for firefighters to face the fire head-on. The statement said they have been working to suppress the fire by aircraft since Thursday, when it began.

In the statement, officials said this is unprecedented fire activity. The last fire in Prescott National Forest in October was in 2007 and grew to 630 acres.

Firefighters are working to create protections for communities in Crown King, Minnehaha, Cleator, Black Canyon City, Groom Creek, Ponderosa Park, Walker, Potato Patch, Pine Flat, Breezy Pines, Lookout Mountain, Wilhoit, Wagoner, Walnut Grove, and Prescott.

For more information, monitor the Prescott National Forest Twitter account or Facebook page or call 928-9251111. To keep up with evacuations, visit the Yavapai County Sheriff ’s Office Facebook page for updates on Code Red alerts or call (928) 771-3321, or sign up for Code Red notifications at Yavapai County Code Red Notification.