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Backbone Fire in Arizona nearly triples in size to 17,126 acres

June 19 (UPI) -- The Backbone Fire in Arizona nearly tripled in size overnight to more than 17,000 acres, officials reported on Saturday.

The blaze, which had consumed 6,000 acres as of a report on Friday night had burned 17,126 acres and was 0% contained as crews struggled to find containment locations, according to a report by InciWeb on Saturday morning.

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The Southwest Area Type 1 Incident Management Team assumed command of the fire on Saturday morning and aerial resources remained deployed to support firefighters on the ground.

The wildfire forced "Go" evacuation orders for the communities of Pine, Strawberry and Hunts Ranch as part of the state's "Ready, Set, Go" emergency program, the Gila County Sheriff's Office said on Friday night.

No new evacuations were ordered on Saturday but all three communities remained in "Go" status.

Portions of State Route 260 and State Route 87 and the Fossil Creek recreation were closed as a result of the fire.

Officials said the wildfire started at around 11:30 p.m. on Wednesday and believe it was sparked by lightning.

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