An Arizona wildfire has spread more than 700 acres in Yarnell, leading to the evacuations of hundreds of area residents.

Fire crews are reported to still be battling the blaze, which is already known to have caused damage to several buildings, though no injuries have been reported.

Hotshot crews have been spotted all across the area, dropping repellent drops on the blaze throughout the day on Thursday. As of Wednesday night, as many as 300 area residents had left their homes.

Blaze Near Site of Deadly 2013 Yarnell Hill Fire

The blaze is reported to be near the site of the 2013 Yarnell Hill Fire, one of the deadliest wildland fires in decades where members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots perished after they became trapped by the flames.

Dubbed the Tenderfoot Fire, the blaze is reported to have started from unknown causes early on the afternoon of June 8, consuming hundreds of acres by that same afternoon.

At one point, flames were so out of control, a highway northwest of Phoenix was shut down and three buildings were destroyed. Authorities have already opened a shelter on the campus of Yavapai College, where as many as 200 people were expected to spend the night.

The raging inferno comes nearly three years to the day from when a blaze engulfed the same area, ending in the deaths of 19 firefighters. The Yarnell Hill blaze is believed to have been the deadliest fire in 80 years, ultimately destroying 130 homes and consuming approximately 13 miles.

Lightning Ruled Out as Source of Fire

Authorities later revealed the cause of the fire was thought to be a lightning strike. There were no storms in the area at the time of the most recent blaze and authorities do not believe weather played a role in things.

Related