Apache Junction fire officials say homes and livestock near Tomahawk Road and Lost Dutchman Boulevard were evacuated due to a nearby brush fire Tuesday afternoon. Police say they are assisting firefighters with a brush fire north of McKellips Boulevard and east of Tomahawk Road. Fire officials say crews are working to get the fire under control. Homes were evacuated for precautionary measures but that order has since been lifted. This is a developing story. Stay with ABC15 for the latest ..read more

With this weeks spring equinox comes a unique phenomenon in the Superstition Mountains: the iconic cougar shadow. Twice a year, during the spring and fall equinox, a shadow is cast on the mountains that looks just like a prowling cougar. ABC15 viewer Deborah Myers shared her view this week from a spot in the Apache Junction area: The best time to get a glimpse of the unique shadow is around 30 minutes before sunset, according to Visit Mesa. You have to get to a pretty specific spot to see the cougar shape in its best form Visit Mesa says you can see it well by going to the area of 13th Avenue ..read more

Pinal County leaders are creating a task force to address illegal camping in the Apache Junction and Tonto National Forest area. The Bureau of Land Management recently closed more than 1,000 acres of public land near Apache Junction to build a new recreation area. Concerns over public land closure near Apache Junction Earlier this month, at the Bulldog Canyon entrance near Apache Junction, ABC15 saw the gates lock had been cut in half again. Neighbors have complained the land is a hot spot for prolonged camping and illegal dumping with concerns about campers now going onto the national forest ..read more

There are lingering concerns after a public land closure near Apache Junction forced illegal campers out of their grounds and elsewhere into the community. Apache Junction resident Nadine Johnson has been collecting shell casings that are scattered about a mile into nearby Tonto National Forest. "Lots of gunfire, especially in the middle of the night, lots of trash that's just abandoned at these trailer sites, said Johnson. At the Bulldog Canyon entrance near Apache Junction, the gates lock had been cut in half again. Residents tell ABC15 it is a popular route for many who illegally camp, some ..read more

The Bureau of Land Management is closing more than a thousand acres of public land near Apache Junction for two years to build a new recreation area. Neighbors have complained the land is a hot spot for prolonged camping and illegal dumping, but now, many are concerned about where those campers will go. Colleen Campos lives just down the road from one of the entrances to Tonto National Forest. She says they love it there for all the hiking and mountain biking. But Campos says squatters have made the outdoors a nightmare. They would leave copious amounts of trash, theyd also leave human waste ..read more

Starting next school year, some of the offices of social workers may be empty in the Apache Junction Unified School District. On Tuesday, the board voted 4 to 1 to have a reduction in force for the 2024-25 school year. That list included social workers. A majority of these positions are being cut as district officials said they were funded by pandemic-era money called ESSER funds. That federal money runs out later this fall for all school districts. Superintendent Robert Pappalardo said they had known this was coming, adding that the staff under the grant-funded positions knew it was not perma ..read more

One person is dead and two others were taken to a hospital after a wrong-way crash on US 60 in the East Valley Saturday night. DPS officials say they were initially alerted to a blue pick-up truck driving aggressively in and out of traffic at about 9:35 p.m. Shortly after, Department of Public Safety officials said they received reports that the vehicle was driving eastbound in the westbound lanes. About 10 minutes after that report, callers began informing DPS the truck had turned around and was now driving westbound in the eastbound lanes. As the truck was in the eastbound lanes, it collided ..read more

A man was found dead in a vehicle crashed off an embankment outside of Apache Junction Tuesday night. The Arizona Department of Public Safety says the body was found in the vehicle just before 9:45 p.m. along SR 88 about five miles northeast of Apache Junction. The vehicle was reportedly about 150 feet below the roadway down the embankment. DPS is assisting the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office in recovery efforts. The victim has not yet been identified. It's unknown when the crash happened or what caused the vehicle to go off the roadway ..read more

The Department of Defense says a soldier from Arizona was one of five killed in a helicopter crash late last week. A military aircraft crashed over the eastern Mediterranean Sea on Friday evening, U.S. European Command said Sunday. EUCOM said all five crew members were killed when it went down during a routine air refueling mission as part of military training. DOD officials say, "there are no indications the crash was caused by enemy / hostile actions." The commander of the Army Special Operations Command, Lt. Gen. Jonathan Braga, said the fallen soldiers hail from rare patriotic families wit ..read more

An Apache Junction police officer is thanking a young girl for finding his lost dog with a special gift. Sgt. Pennington was recently out of town and while he was away, his beloved dog Bella wandered off. A compassionate girl named Enzley rescued Bella, who had burnt paws when found. Pennington wanted to make sure Enzley knew how grateful he was. So when Enzley paid a visit to the police department, Pennington surprised her with a new bike. The department says Enzley's excitement was "contagious." She made sure every officer could feel her excitement when she thanked Apache Junction officers f ..read more