SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) -- The City Council has voted to prohibit public access to more than 15,000 acres of parched land on the McDowell Sonoran Preserve and declare a local emergency because of extremely hot, dry and windy conditions.
The closure marks only the second time the preserve has been shut down in its 10-year history.
Officials first closed it during the Rodeo-Chediski wildfire in 2002, when most of the state's resources were dedicated to that eastern Arizona blaze.
Barricades and signs were being set up Wednesday to block entrances to the preserve and a team of volunteers will be patrolling the perimeter.
Violators first will be given warnings to leave the area before law enforcement is requested, said Bob Cafarella, Scottsdale's preservation director.
The land is expected to be closed until fire conditions abate with the monsoon season in July or August.
Information from: East Valley Tribune/Scottsdale Tribune
