Evacuation Ordered For Top-of-the-World Area As Fire Spreads

TOP-OF-THE-WORLD, AZ — An evacuation order has been issued for Arizona residents near the Top-of-the-World census-designated place. The order came from the Pinal County Sheriff's Office Sunday morning.

The order comes as two fires, the Telegraph fire and the Mescal fire, have spread nearby. The Telegraph fire has grown to exceed 34,000 acres as of just before noon Sunday.

Evacuation centers have been set up at Lee Kornegay Intermediate School, 4635 Railroad Ave. in Miami and Skyline High School in Mesa by the American Red Cross of Arizona & New Mexico.

Shelter for large animals is available at the Birch Stockyard, 2822 N. Highway 188 in Globe and the Apache Junction Rodeo grounds.

Pinal County officials have warned people about not adhering to the order.

"If you choose to ignore this advisement, you must understand emergency services may not be able to assist you further," the sheriff's office wrote on Twitter. "Follow instructions from emergency personnel, stay on designated evacuation routes and avoid closed areas."

Several roads in the area have also been closed Sunday due to the fires, the Arizona Department of Transportation tweeted.

REMINDER: These roads are closed due to the #TelegraphFire and #MescalFire:
• US 60: Superior to Top-of-the-World;
• SR 77: Globe to Winkelman;
• SR 177: Superior to Winkelman.

There is NO estimated time to reopen the roads.#aztraffic #SuperiorAZ pic.twitter.com/uwQQxe3N7U
— Arizona DOT (@ArizonaDOT) June 6, 2021