The blaze has charred about 12.5 square miles, including thousands of acres that were set on fire by firefighters to deprive the fire of fuel. Hundreds of firefighters working on the blaze had it about 5 percent contained.
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Lanny Stableford watched as a fleet of aircraft attacked flames in rugged Refugio Canyon near his ranch.
For a second night, a freeway, USA 101, was closed in the area. “The higher relative humidity and moisture often associated with thunderstorms can cause fire behavior to be so minimal that smoke is not visible above tree tops until fire behavior picks up with warm and dry weather patterns”, said Joe Rechsteiner, Pine Valley District Ranger. “But it’s our understanding they have made good progress containing the fire today”.
The black line along on the West side along Hwy 60 extending across the North part of the fire on the B 65 road is the containment line mentioned in todays press conference.
The Cedar Fire burning in the White Mountain Apache Indian Reservation, about 10 miles south of Show Low and Pinetop, has scorched approximately 8,000 acres.
There are 650 firefighters on the ground and more heavy air tankers have been requested. Crews near Cedar City are battling a almost 400-acre wildfire that’s threatening 20 homes and structures as well as a 60-acre blaze a couple of miles south. A third fire in the area has also burned about 100 acres, though the terrain is too steep to send in ground crews.
The fire is burning about a half-mile from so-called trigger points, meaning if the fire reaches those specific locations, the order will be issued and residents will have about three hours to get out.
Days after the Tenderfoot fire threatened the tiny town of Yarnell in Central Arizona, another wildfire is threatening several White Mountain communities.
County officials told residents in Show Low, Pinetop-Lakeside and three other communities to prepare for possible evacuations, but Wolfe says Show Low’s west side is the area that likely would be affected initially if evacuations are necessary. The Cedar Fire is burning south of the highway, but close to the Rodeo-Chedeski Fire burn area.
But authorities said winds were lighter Thursday, and crews were able to get a fire line in place in most of the critical areas. “A plane leaves the airport every three minutes to fly to the fire and drop retardant”, said Bob Butler, Air Operations Branch Director. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Santa Barbara firefighters work the crest of a ridge after a wildfire burned the hill west of Goleta, Calif., Friday, June 17, 2016.
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The fire has been stoked by the region’s afternoon and evening “Sundowner” winds, which blast down the face of the Santa Ynez Mountains toward the Pacific Ocean. Weekend fire dangers already were expected to worsen with the arrival of an extreme heatwave across the Southwest, including in New Mexico, where a wildfire has destroyed two dozen homes.
