The American Red Cross Grand Canyon Chapter has opened a shelter at Wickenburg High School for people who were evacuated Sunday by the Yarnell Hill Fire.
The Red Cross has the capacity to shelter as many as 475 people inside the gymnasium at 1090 S. Vulture Mine Road in Wickenburg. Red Cross volunteers have set up cots and blankets for overnight stays, and evacuated residents can come to the shelter for meals, snacks, water and coffee. Evacuated residents also can receive aid from Red Cross nurses and mental health volunteers.
So far, nineteen people are registered at the Red Cross shelter at Yavapai College, at 1100 E. Sheldon St. in Prescott. The Red Cross opened the second shelter, in Wickenburg, because a 20-mile stretch of Highway 89 is closed, making it impossible for evacuated residents to get from Yarnell to Prescott. Animal Disaster Services is sheltering pets at Yavapai College, adjacent to the Red Cross shelter, and a shelter for large animals is at Hidden Springs Ranch, at 18701 Highway 89 in Peeples Valley. For information related to the Red Cross shelter at Yavapai College, please call 928-717-8210.
Evacuated residents wanting to reconnect with loved ones are urged to register through the Red Cross Safe and Well website. Those wishing to make donations to the Red Cross can do so online or by calling 1-800-REDCROSS.