Scottsdale's Gate Fire causes road closures and neighborhood evacuations
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - A 100-acre fast-moving brush fire burning in Scottsdale is forcing road closures and neighborhood evacuations on Thursday afternoon.
The Gate Fire broke out on Sept. 12 near 128th Street and Ranch Gate Road. The fire was originally named the Sand Hills Fire.
SkyFOX was over the fire and flames were seen just feet away from the backyards of homes.
"A lot of phone calls, a lot of text messages, things like that. I'm one of the stewards for the reserve so a bunch of my stewards are asking what's going on and is there anything they can do?" said resident Robin Ferguson.
The residents compared this blaze to the Diamond Fire that burned nearby last summer.
"It wasn't this close to the homes last year so it had me kind of worried. That's why we came down to take a look and make sure our neighbors are okay," Ferguson said.
Two homes and several construction sites in the StoryRock neighborhood nearby were evacuated.
Those residents were allowed to return to their homes and regular neighborhood traffic resumed.
Scottsdale Fire Captain Dave Folio shared that this scenario is a good example of the importance of fire-safe defense homeowners can set up on their properties.
"Believe it or not I just drove three of these neighborhoods. It looks like they've been listening to us. Brush is cleared back probably off the fence line. I talked to two or three of our crews, there was a lot of fire back there bumping up to their fence lines, bumping up to their homes," Folio said.
The Scottsdale Fire Department says the fire is 100 acres so far and is fast-moving.
Resident James Espo says it's not too hard to set up that perimeter around your home - and worth it for extra safety.
"There's not much work you have to put in. You have to just make sure there's no debris and no invasive plants that are around your house," he said.
On Sept. 19, Scottsdale Fire officials said a wildland fire investigator from the Sedona Fire District determined that the fire was "caused by work at a residential construction site."
"The investigation will be forwarded to the Scottsdale City Attorney’s office for review and potential further legal action," read a portion of the statement.