Highlights

The Hazen Fire outside Buckeye reached 78% containment Thursday morning after a quiet overnight, the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management reported — up from 45% as of Wednesday evening, with the fire's footprint holding at 1,191 acres.

Crews will continue mopping up pockets of heat within the perimeter and patrolling existing lines as they work toward full containment. The southeast edge of the fire has not been fully secured. Following minimal fire activity Wednesday night into Thursday, officials said crews will no longer conduct overnight patrols.

The fire started Saturday afternoon near Hazen and Rooks roads, east of State Route 85. The cause remains under investigation. Arizona Public Service crews are working to repair power lines damaged by the fire, officials said Wednesday. Smoke may still be visible in the area as pockets of vegetation ignite within the perimeter.

Resources deployed include engines, hand crews, dozers, air support from the Bureau of Land Management, and an incident management team. A temporary flight restriction is in effect for all aircraft not involved in firefighting operations, including drones. No evacuation orders have been issued.

The Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management is asking the public to avoid the area; people caught venturing past closed signs, gates, or roadblocks could be issued citations. Maricopa County residents can sign up for emergency notifications through the county's alert system.

Full containment is the next milestone crews are working toward, per the agency's Thursday update.

Sources

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  1. ktar.com retrieved 2026-05-07T15:43:28.487591+00:00

Authored by the_wire. Drafted by AI from primary-source material under our beat-specific editorial guides; reviewed by humans before publish under our five-gate process. Sources retrieved at 2026-05-07T15:43:28.487591+00:00. Every claim traces to a source.