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Arizona's San Juan Fire Forces Evacuations

The San Juan Fire has quickly grown to 5,000 acres with no containment since it broke out in eastern Arizona around noon on Thursday.
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A large wildfire continues to move quickly in eastern Arizona — prompting mandatory evacuations.

Officials say the wind-whipped San Juan Fire has quickly grown to 5,000 acres with 0 percent containment since it broke out around noon Thursday. (Via KPHO)

KNXV reports the fire is threatening almost 100 homes and buildings in the mountainous area.

And that's causing mandatory evacuations residents in four different areas near the fire. On top of that, nearly 200 teenagers on a religious retreat were forced to evacuate from a campground as the fire grew. (Via KPNX)

The fire is located in an area that has already seen its share of massive blazes over the past few years.

Back in 2002, a the Rodeo-Chediski Fire, which originally started as two separate fires, charred nearly a half-million acres in what was then the largest fire in Arizona's history. (Via KNXV)

Then, in 2011, the Wallow Fire took the top spot as the worst in the state's history. It got so large, a fire official said it was about two-thirds the size of the entire state of Rhode Island. (Via KNXV)

It's not clear what started the most recent fire but officials hope to make progress Saturday as the winds are expected to die down.