A wind-driven fire in the small Arizona community of Greer prompted evacuations after the Greer Fire grew quickly to 3,500 acres, the town of Eagar said in a Facebook post .

Authorities set a "go" status for the communities of South Fork and North Woods May 13 after a fire started on private land and got into "heavy fuels" in the area, destroying "multiple structures," according to the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management .

Greer had a population of 58, according to the 2020 census. It's in eastern Arizona within the White Mountains and surrounded by the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest. It's slightly north of Phoenix but is marginally closer to the state's southern border than the northern border, according to Google Maps.

Large air tankers and other aircraft were launched to assist, the department reported, but the air tankers were grounded due to high winds around 2:20 p.m.

State Route 260 was closed in both directions between mileposts 385 and 393 due to the fire , according to the Arizona Department of Transportation, while the southbound lanes of State Route 373 leading to Greer were also closed.

The American Red Cross announced it opened an evacuation center at Round Valley High School Dome in Eagar, where evacuees were told to go on the Northeastern Arizona Public Information System on Facebook. The website said everyone east of a 1-mile radius of State Route 261 should consider themselves in "set" status in the state's "ready, set, go" system , meaning they should be prepared for the "go" order.

Evacuees with recreational vehicles or large animals can go to the Round Valley Rodeo Grounds in Eagar, according to the website.

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs posted on X about the fire and said she was thinking of all those affected and was "deeply grateful for our brave firefighters."

The mayors of Eager and Springerville signed a declaration of emergency May 13 that prohibited the burning of any type outdoors as well as outdoor smoking.

Reach the reporter at or 480-276-3237. Follow him on X @raystern .

(This story has been updated to add new information.)