Two wildfires burning in central eastern Arizona together scorched over 18,000 acres as of Aug. 9, according to state and federal fire officials.
The Bronco Fire and Indian Creek Fire were both caused by lightning and burned less than 10 miles from each other, according to fire officials.
The Bronco Fire burned on the eastern portion of the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation, according to the Albuquerque Zone Type 3 Incident Management Team on InciWeb, a federal wildfire tracker. It was located about 30 miles northeast of the community of San Carlos, according to InciWeb.
The Bronco Fire had grown to 15,836 acres since Aug. 3 and was 0% contained, according to the team.
Firefighters were engaged in full suppression efforts, but saw extreme fire weather due to hot, dry and windy conditions, according to the Albuquerque team.
Crews on the west and northwest side of the fire adjusted techniques to establish containment lines in anticipation of further growth.
About 145 fire personnel were assigned to the Bronco Fire, according to the team.
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About 8 miles to the east on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation, 18 miles southwest of Whiteriver, the Indian Creek Fire burned 3,000 acres and was 0% contained, according to an active wildfire tracker by the Arizona Department of Emergency Management.
The fire started Aug. 5, according to the tracker.
A map of closures due to the Indian Creek Fire burning on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation on Aug. 9, 2025.
About 60 fire personnel were assigned to the Indian Creek fire, with an incident command team expected to form by Aug. 9, according to the Bureau of Indian Affairs in a Facebook update.
Crews were challenged by steep and rugged terrain as the fire burned quickly through grass, brush, along with juniper and ponderosa pine trees, according to the BIA.
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The BIA listed nearby areas closed due to the fire, which included:
From Amos Wash to Black River
East to the Bonito Creek and Black River confluence
North along Bonito Creek to the Y40 bridge over Bonito Creek
Northwest along Y40 to the Y70/Y40 junction
Northwest along Y79 to the community of Seven Mile
South to Fort Apache Road, West to Highway 73
Highway 73 west back to Amos Wash
A slight chance of thunderstorms and rain was forecast over the weekend, which could aid firefighting efforts, according to fire officials.
Rey Covarrubias Jr. reports breaking news for The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. Email him at: rcovarrubias@gannett.com, and connect with him on Instagram, Threads, Bluesky and X (formerly Twitter) at @ReyCJrAZ.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Wildfires burn through eastern Arizona reservations