A south Phoenix animal shelter was forced to evacuate Wednesday.
MARICOPA COUNTY, Ariz. — A Maricopa County animal shelter was evacuated Wednesday after a threat was received by the facility.
The county shelter near 27th Street and Lower Buckeye Road in south Phoenix was evacuated as the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office investigated the threat, authorities said.
According to authorities, the shelter received a threatening phone call at about 10 a.m. The shelter continued to receive additional threats over the next hour.
During the evacuation, the two dogs were spayed or neutered and recuperated with the evacuated staff.
MCSO spent about two hours inspecting the facility, which was cleared out around 12:30 p.m.
Hundreds of animals are brought to the county animal shelter every month. In May 2024, more than 800 animals were adopted from the county shelter.
Spanish version: Maricopa County animal shelter ordered to evacuate
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What is Valley?
“The Valley” is what locals call the Phoenix metropolitan area, considered the largest metropolitan area in the Southwest.
Besides Phoenix, the Valley also includes other major cities such as:
- Mesa
- Chandler
- Scottsdale
- Tempeh
- Glendale
- surprise
- Peoria
- Gilbert
- El Mirage
- Avondale
- Litchfield Park
- Goodyear
- Buckeye
Whether a city is in the “East Valley” or the “West Valley” depends on where it is located in relation to Phoenix.
According to the 2020 U.S. Census, the Valley region's cities have a combined population of 4,845,832, making it the 11th largest metropolitan area in the country, behind the Boston and Atlanta areas.
How big is Maricopa County?
According to the 2020 census, Maricopa County has a population of 4,485,414, making it the fourth most populous county in the United States.
The county is home to approximately 63% of Arizona's population and covers an area of 9,224 square miles, which means the county is larger than seven U.S. states: Rhode Island, Delaware, Connecticut, Hawaii, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire.
Maricopa County is also home to one of the largest park systems in the country. The county has an estimated 120,000 acres of open space parks, including hundreds of miles of trails, nature centers, campgrounds, and more.
The county seat is Phoenix, which is also the state capital and the fifth most populous city in the United States according to the census.
The county was named for a Native American tribe called the Maricopa or Piipache.
