The smell of a bonfire hung over Maricopa Meadows Thursday afternoon as smoke from a nearby brush fire drifted toward the neighborhood.

Now dubbed the Smith Fire, it has grown to about 2 acres and moved from Ak-Chin Indian Community land into Maricopa jurisdiction, where Maricopa Fire/Medical Department crews are working to contain it. It is approximately three-quarters of a mile west of the Maricopa neighborhood.

No buildings are currently at risk, according to MFMD. Containment was not listed by Watch Duty as of Thursday afternoon.

The fire was first reported around 12:24 a.m. near Smith Wash, just south of McDavid Road. MFMD provided mutual aid to Ak-Chin Fire Department earlier Thursday before the fire moved into Maricopa.

The smoke was visible from Maricopa Meadows, where residents said they could smell the fire and see it burning beyond the farm fields bordering the neighborhood.

Cecilia English, a Maricopa Meadows resident, said she first noticed gray smoke as the day progressed before it became darker.

“As the day progressed, we started seeing the gray smoke, and then probably the last like what an hour or two, then it turned black,” English said. “I’m like, no, something’s like burning now.”

English said seeing the fire so close to the neighborhood was concerning.

“It’s a little nerve-wracking,” she said.

The Smith Fire burns in a wash on the Ak-Chin Indian Community, about three-quarters of a mile west of Maricopa Meadows, on Aug. 20, 2026. [Monica D. Spencer]

The Smith Fire burns in a wash on the Ak-Chin Indian Community, about three-quarters of a mile west of Maricopa Meadows, on Aug. 20, 2026. [Monica D. Spencer]

The Smith Fire burns in a wash on the Ak-Chin Indian Community, about three-quarters of a mile west of Maricopa Meadows, on Aug. 20, 2026. [Monica D. Spencer]

The Smith Fire burns in a wash on the Ak-Chin Indian Community, about three-quarters of a mile west of Maricopa Meadows, on Aug. 20, 2026. [Monica D. Spencer]

The Smith Fire burns in a wash on the Ak-Chin Indian Community, about three-quarters of a mile west of Maricopa Meadows, on Aug. 20, 2026. [Monica D. Spencer]

The Smith Fire burns in a wash on the Ak-Chin Indian Community, about three-quarters of a mile west of Maricopa Meadows, on Aug. 20, 2026. [Monica D. Spencer]