Arizona Wildfires - Red Cross Responds, Offers Safety Steps

Strong winds and dry heat have combined to contribute to several wildfires in Arizona, including the Bush Fire, northeast of Phoenix, which has consumed more than 70,000 acres and forced hundreds of people out of their homes.

There are also several fires on the other end of the state – the Mangum and Bighorn Fires – which combined have burned almost 55,000 acres.

The American Red Cross, in collaboration with local partners, is supporting several evacuation centers and  working with dozens of people to provide emergency lodging accommodations as we continue to prioritize the safety of people we serve and our workforce against the risks of COVID-19. 

The Red Cross also offers these safety steps people should follow:

Be prepared to evacuate at a moment’s notice and obey all evacuation orders from officials.

• Back your car into the garage or park it outside, facing the direction of your evacuation route.
• Confine pets to one room, so you can find them if you need to evacuate quickly.
• Limit exposure to smoke and dust. Keep indoor air clean by closing windows and doors to prevent outside smoke from getting in.
• Don’t use anything that burns, such as candles, fireplaces and gas stoves.

If you’re trapped outdoors, crouch in a pond, river or pool.

• Don’t put wet clothing or bandanas over your mouth or nose, as moist air can cause more damage to your airway than dry air at the same temperature.
• If there is no body of water, look for shelter in a cleared area or among a bed of rocks. Lie flat, face down, and cover your body with soil. Breathe the air close to the ground to avoid scorching your lungs or inhaling smoke.

Don’t return home until officials say it’s safe to do so.

• Inspect the roof immediately and extinguish any sparks or embers. Wildfires may have left embers that could reignite.
• Check your home for embers that could cause fires. Look for signs of a fire including smoke or sparks.
• Avoid damaged or downed power lines, poles and wires.
• Keep your animals under your direct control. Hidden embers and hot spots could burn them.
• Wet down debris to minimize breathing in dust particles.
• Wear leather gloves and shoes with heavy soles.
• Throw out any food that has been exposed to heat, smoke or soot.

Download the Red Cross Emergency App for real-time alerts, open shelters and expert advice on wildfires.

• The Emergency App includes an “I’m Safe” feature that help people check on loved ones.
• Search “American Red Cross” in app stores or go to redcross.org/apps.

Visit here for more information on wildfire safety.

CORPORATIONS, FOUNDATIONS AND ORGANIZATIONS HELP The generous donations from members of the Red Cross Annual Disaster Giving Program (ADGP) and the Disaster Responder Program enable the American Red Cross to prepare communities for disasters big and small, respond whenever and wherever disasters occur and help families during the recovery process.

ADGP $1 Million members are: Amazon; American Airlines; Anheuser-Busch Foundation; Anthem Foundation; Bank of America; Caterpillar Foundation; Costco Wholesale; Delta Air Lines; Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation; FedEx; The Home Depot Foundation; Latter-day Saint Charities; Lilly Endowment Inc.; Marathon Petroleum Foundation, Inc.; Mazda North American Operations; Microsoft Corp.; Nationwide Foundation; State Farm; UPS; VSP Global; Walmart and the Walmart Foundation; The Walt Disney Company; and Wells Fargo.

ADGP $500,000 members are: Altria Group; Aon; Capital One; Citi Foundation; The Clorox Company; Darden Foundation; Delta Dental Community Care Foundation; Discover; Edison International; Energy Transfer/Sunoco Foundation; Fidelity Charitable Trustees’ Initiative; Ford Motor Company; Fox Corporation; General Motors; Grainger; HCA Healthcare; Humble Bundle; IBM Corporation; International Paper; The J.M. Smucker Company; Johnson Controls Foundation; The Kroger Co. Foundation; LHC Group; Lowe's Companies, Inc.; Merck Foundation; Mondelēz International Foundation; New Balance Foundation; PepsiCo Foundation; Progressive Insurance; PwC Charitable Foundation; San Manuel Band of Mission Indians; Sands Cares; Southwest Airlines; The Starbucks Foundation; Target; The TJX Companies, Inc.; Toyota; United Airlines; The USAA Foundation, Inc.; Visa Foundation; and The Wawa Foundation.

Disaster Responder Program members are: 7-Eleven Cares Foundation; Adobe; American Express; Assurant; AstraZeneca; AT&T; AvalonBay Communities, Inc.; Avangrid Foundation; The Ball Foundation; Barclays; BMW of North America; CarMax; Choice Hotels International; Cisco Foundation; CNA Insurance; The Coca-Cola Company; The Coca-Cola Foundation; Consumer Cellular; Cox Enterprises; CSX; DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation; Dominion Energy; Duke Energy; Duke Realty; Equitable; Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation; Harbor Freight Tools Foundation, LLC; Hewlett Packard Enterprise Foundation; HP Foundation; The Kraft Heinz Company Foundation; Lenovo; Liberty Mutual Insurance; Mastercard; Neiman Marcus Group; Northrop Grumman; Northwestern Mutual and the Northwestern Mutual Foundation; Old Dominion Freight Line; The Pfizer Foundation; Procter & Gamble; Prudential Financial; Raytheon Technologies; Rodan + Fields Prescription for Change Foundation; Ryder System, Inc.; Security Finance’s Lending Hand Foundation; Southeastern Grocers Home of BI-LO Harveys Winn Dixie; Tata Consultancy Services; TD Ameritrade; Trane Technologies; U-Haul International; and U.S. Bank Foundation.