(January 21, 2010 – 7:10 p.m.)  Heavy rainfall across Arizona this week has caused the following road closures due to significant runoff and flood conditions in many creeks and rivers of Gila County.

In Globe: Six Shooter Canyon Road; the bridge just past Pueblo Heights Trailer Park; Silver Hills; Orient Street: Hoopes Drive & Adobe Road.

In Roosevelt, Campaign Wash is closed.

In Payson all crossings along Houston Mesa Road are closed.

In Star Valley: the corner of Moonlight & Rainbow;

In Pine: Pine Creek @ South Road and Pine Creek @ Bradshaw;

In Middle Round Valley: Gibson Ranch Road

Hwy 260 east of Star Valley and Hwy 87 north of Pine are open to 4 wheel drive or chains only.

An evacuation order is in effect for low lying areas along Tonto Creek in Tonto Basin.  A Red Cross shelter is now open for evacuees at the Tonto Basin School at 445 S. Old Highway 188, Punkin Center.

All crossings along Tonto Creek in Tonto Basin are barricaded closed.  Do not attempt to cross barricaded or flooded roads.  Flood waters running over normally dry creek beds are extremely treacherous.  Just 1 foot of water can sweep vehicles off the road.

Continuing rain will likely increased flooding due to ground saturation.  Residents in communities along rivers, creeks and washes should closely monitor weather radio.

The Gila County Emergency Management HOTLINE will post information as events occur. Call:  1-928-402-8888 or 1-800-304-4452 extension 8888.

SAN CARLOS, Ariz. (AP) — A medical helicopter has crashed on Arizona’s San Carlos Indian reservation during a training flight and both people aboard were seriously injured, authorities said. There was no patient on the flight.

The pilot of the Eurocopter AS 350 lost control while trying to land at San Carlos’s Cutter airport around 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor told KSAZ Fox Channel 10 in Phoenix.

Both people aboard were hospitalized with serious injuries, Bureau of Indian Affairs spokesman Warren Youngman said.

The helicopter belonged to EMS transportation provider Native Air, according to a report on KPNX-TV in Phoenix.

A spokesman for Native Air’s parent company, Joel Hochhalter, said helicopter, which departed from Williams Gateway Airport, is for training only and is not configured for medical transportation.

Hochhalter added the pilots’ injuries were not life-threatening.

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board would investigate the crash.

No other details were immediately available. Police on the San Carlos reservation refused to provide details and Associated Press calls to the FAA and BIA went unanswered early Thursday morning.

The San Carlos Apache Reservation is along U.S. 70 between Globe and Safford, in Gila County, about 60 miles east of Phoenix.

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Information from: KPNX-TV

Information from: KSAZ-TV

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.