Residents in parts of Arizona were ordered to evacuate Sunday as firefighters battled several wildfires across the state amid extreme temperatures that have persisted for weeks.
About 160 residents were ordered to evacuate from the Sunflower area in Arizona's Maricopa County Sunday as a wildfire burned in the Tonto National Forest, authorities said.
Deputies were evacuating residents and advising them to head to the town of Fountain Hills, where an evacuation center was set up, Maricopa County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Joaquin Enriquez told CNN Sunday evening.
"At this point, the fire is burning in place and crews will monitor and continue some firefighting overnight," Maricopa County Emergency Management spokesperson Ron Coleman said. "Additional firefighting will continue in the morning."
Sunflower is about 58 miles northeast of Phoenix, which hit 24 straight days of temperatures at or above 110 degrees, according to a tweet from the National Weather Service. The city saw a high of 114 degrees Sunday.
Over 100 miles away in Yavapai County, where six active wildfires were burning, residents of the community of Cherry were also ordered to flee Sunday.
"The RACETRACK Fire is threatening your area. Please evacuate now," the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office said in a "go message" to residents Sunday night.
A special weather statement was in effect for parts of Yavapai County for wind gusts up to 50 mph Sunday, and the National Weather Service had warned residents to "Expect wind shifts for the Grapevine and Race Track fires."
The fires come amid Arizona's weeks-long battle with extreme heat, with excessive heat warnings in place across much of central and southern parts of the state Sunday.
There have been at least 18 confirmed heat-related deaths recorded in Maricopa County so far this year as of the second week of July, with another 69 cases under investigation, according to data from the Maricopa County Department of Public Health.
The dangerously hot temperatures are also taxing hospitals in the county as people suffering from heat-related illnesses seek treatment, CNN previously reported.
Maricopa County, where Phoenix is located, is the nation's fourth largest county in terms of population size, according to the county's website.
At least 44 million people were under heat advisories and excessive heat warnings Sunday across much of the desert Southwest, Intermountain West, South Texas and South Florida, according to the National Weather Service.
Over two dozen records were either set or tied Saturday across cities in Arizona, California, Florida, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Puerto Rico and Texas.
