Malta fire: Phillips County Sheriff's Office issues ‘fire emergency’ for residents

The Phillips County Sheriff's Office said in a statement, “There is a large uncontrolled fire south of Malta heading toward Malta being pushed by high winds."

Published on: Jul 3, 2025, 12:36:11 IST

By Sumanti Sen

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On Wednesday evening, July 2, the Phillips County Sheriff's Office issued a "fire emergency" for residents of Malta. The agency said in a Facebook post, “There is a large uncontrolled fire south of Malta heading toward Malta being pushed by high winds. Residents in the Hillcrest area are advised to evacuate to the north immediately. All other citizens are asked to stay out of that area and off the roads to allow law enforcement and fire crews to safely help evacuate people and fight the fire."

Malta fire: Phillips County Sheriff's Office issues ‘fire emergency’ for residents (Unsplash - representational image)

Phillips County Sheriff's Office provides update

Malta City Hall was opened for people who were evacuating their homes.

Meanwhile, the Phillips County Sheriff's Office provided another update after 11 pm, saying, "The fire has been extinguished and crews are mopping up. The evacuation order is lifted and all residents may return to their residences. Hillcrest residents will experience lower than normal water pressure for a short time as well as no power until the integrity of all power poles can be verified. There was no loss of any residence and only a couple outbuildings were lost in the fire."

A post shared by a Facebook user has captured the fire. It was shared with the caption, “Earlier!!! Fire south of Malta 7.2.25... No time to edit...”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sumanti Sen
Sumanti Sen covers everything that’s happening in the US, from politics to entertainment, but her expertise lies in covering crime news. She has comprehensively chronicled the Idaho student murders, the Laken Riley and Iryna Zarutska cases, and the killing of Charlie Kirk, among other incidents. Over the years, she has interviewed several victims/families of victims of crimes seeking justice. She digs up stories that might otherwise remain unheard, and does her bit to ensure that victims and survivors’ voices are heard. Sumanti’s many years of experience also include interviews with Hamas attack survivors and mental health experts, among others. Her coverage of the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel and interviews with survivors of the tragedy, coupled with her other works including the Titan submersible coverage, earned her the Digi Journo of the Quarter award during her first year at Hindustan Times. Sumanti actively tracks missing person cases in the United States, and peruses Reddit and other social media platforms to bring to light cases that frequently elude public attention. She has extensively covered the disappearances of Nancy Guthrie, Thomas Medlin, Beau Mann, and Sudiksha Konanki, among others. When not at work, you will either find her with her novels, or with her beloved rescue pooches.Read More

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