Evacuation alert issued for Roosevelt, Roosevelt Lake area residents

ROOSEVELT, Ariz. (FOX 10) -- Officials with Gila County have issued an evacuation alert for people living in the Roosevelt and Roosevelt Lake area, as a result of the Woodbury Fire.

A notice was posted by officials on the unverified Facebook page of the Gila County Sheriff's Office Thursday afternoon.

People living in the area are asked to evacuate immediately, and those who are not able to evacuate as asked to call 911. A temporary shelter facility has been set up for community members and small pets at the Lee Kornegay School, located at 4735 S. Ragus Road in Miami. Livestock will be sheltered at the Gila County Fairgrounds. Those unable to evacuate livestock are asked to paint phone numbers on their animals for future identification, before turning them loose.

As of 12:00 p.m. Tuesday, the Woodbury Fire has burned just over 50,000 acres of land, and it is 41% contained. According to an update issued by fire officials Thursday morning, firefighters are facing challenges from high-intensity fire behavior due to critical fire weather.