Arizona Wildfire 2017: Fire Continues to Rage, Forces Thousands To Flee
Fueled by high winds, the Prescott National Forest remained under threat from catastrophic wildfires, forcing thousands of residents to flee their homes.
The Goodwin Fire began west of State Route 69 on June 24, burning about 43 square miles (111 square kilometers) of land. The blaze had forced an estimated 7,500 people to leave their homes.
A spokeswoman for the U.S. Forest Service said the Arizona fire continued growing because of high winds. At least one wildfire was burning in each of four other states — California, Washington, Utah and New Mexico — following a heat wave in the Southwest.
Representatives from Catholic Charities Community Services' northern locations said they were on standby to offer local support if needed and to particularly offer assistance to the Red Cross.
Staff members were also distributing fliers to the populations they serve to prevent long-term stays in the national forests. Since many homeless individuals stay outdoors for an extended period of time, the staff are constantly reaching out to them to offer resources.
"Since private land is hard to find and liability issues may arise regarding camping for the homeless, more affordable and subsidized housing is needed to offset the possibility of forest fires," Rick Brust, the president of Catholic Charities' PATH ( which stands for Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness) program, told The Catholic Sun. "Most homeless individuals and families that decide to camp within our forested regions are for the most part, respectable of maintaining clean campsites and remain aware of the fire restrictions that may be in effect," Brust went on to say.
As of Sunday afternoon, July 2, 53 percent of the Goodwin Fire's perimeter was contained. The officials said they expect the Goodwin Fire to be fully contained by the end of the week. More updates about the latest Arizona wildfire will be released in the following days.
