People living in Gila County neighborhoods are being forced to leave because of a growing wildfire southeast of Globe. On Saturday, those in Coyote Flats Peridot Heights, the San Carlos High School area and all residents along Route 3 were told to go. That's in addition to the evacuations for the El Capitan area and Soda Canyon area, who left Friday night, because of the Mescal Fire.
The Mescal Fire started on Tuesday and has burned 52,887 acres as of Monday morning, and the fire is 8% contained, according to the Southwest Incident Management Team. There are currently 672 firefighters currently working to contain the fire. The acreage on Saturday was 5,500 acres and 25,993 acres Sunday afternoon. The fire is burning desert brush and grass and gusty afternoon winds help push the fire to the north and northeast.