United Food Bank launches emergency initiative to help San Carlos in aftermath of Watch Fire

SAN CARLOS, AZ (AZFamily) — The San Carlos Apache Tribe in eastern Arizona is getting more help after the Watch Fire left dozens homeless.

The United Food Bank said on Tuesday that it has launched an emergency initiative to fulfill the community’s need for food and water.

The Mesa-based nonprofit will continue to provide extra food supplies through its USDA and Pantry+ programs and also ensure people have clean drinking water, officials said.

Emergency food boxes will be delivered to people who can’t reach food distribution locations.

The Watch Fire has burned 2,162 acres since it started on Thursday and is 81% contained.

The flames have destroyed 13 homes and left 75 people without a place to stay, officials said.

Roughly 400 people had to evacuate last week but since then, all evacuations have been lifted.

The San Carlos Apache Tribe declared a state of emergency on Friday.

Gov. Katie Hobbs has sent $400,000 from the Joint Heat Relief Initiative to support the tribal community and provide resources.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency authorized federal funds to be sent to Arizona to combat the fire on Monday.

Arson is suspected as the cause of the fire.

There are several ways people can donate to help the victims. For more information, click/tap here.

In partnership with the United Food Bank, Abiding Ministries will hold a food pantry every Friday from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the WorldEvangelism Revival Center below Belvado Park.

Identification will be needed for check-in and applications will be taken. It will be a first come, first serve setup.

If you would like to donate food, please send an email to abidingministriesaz@gmail.com or call (928) 351-8475

See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it.

Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here with a brief description.