The Wallow Fire doubled in size by Friday to 120,600 acres, as more than 2,000 residents and visitors fled the communities of Alpine, Blue and Nutrioso.
So far the fire, which stood at 60,000 acres Wednesday, has burned six vacation cabins at Beaver Creek Guest Ranch, a horse-centered resort about eight miles from the fire's origin, said Eric Neitzel, Apache County Sheriff's Office spokesman.
Apache County Manager Delwin P. Wengert said he is concerned that the fire, burning along a 13-mile front, could eventually reach the mountain town of Greer and the county's population center in the Round Valley towns of Springerville and Eagar.
It's not headed in those directions at the moment and none of those places is under alert for evacuations, Wengert said Friday, but the potential for the fire's growth is huge.
"The fire still has zero containment. The wind is spiking up. Today will be worse than yesterday, and yesterday was a bad day. The humidity is low, the winds are about 30 mph and they just can't seem to contain it. They're really just trying to protect structures right now and stay out of the fire.
"Our main fear is that it will continue to burn toward Round Valley."
It has already taken a toll on the region's natural beauty, he said.
"It's just taking the heart out of Apache County. All of our forest up there."
The one bright note, said Wengert, is the work that has been done in the nine years since the Rodeo-Chediski Fire burned through 468,000 acres on the west end of the long forest of ponderosa pine and mixed conifers managed by the U.S. Forest Service as the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests.
Homeowners have enrolled in programs to clear out around their homes, and a coalition of agencies, businesses and residents, known as the White Mountain Stewardship Project, have thinned the forest in strategic areas.
One such swath encircles Alpine.
That may not be enough, said Tom Smith, who recently retired from teaching at Alpine's only school. "There is somewhat of a buffer there, but everything is so tinder dry. I'm not sure how effective that will be."
Smith, pastor of Alpine's Presbyterian church, left his home in a hurry Thursday night.
He was headed to a 6 p.m. community meeting at the school when friends called to tell him an evacuation order had been issued for 8 p.m.
He and his son, Luke, hurriedly packed their most important belongings and headed out to relatives in Flagstaff, where they are waiting out the fire.
Luke Smith said the view on the way out was haunting. "We came around the turn there by Nutrioso and it almost looked like you were driving into hell - the bright orange sky and the dark smoke."
A Type 1 Incident Management Team, which fights the most complex fires, was to assume command of the fire Friday, said Mary Johnson, spokeswoman for the Eastern Arizona team previously fighting the fire.
"We're doing the best we can," said Johnson, "but you know the wind is in charge."
Johnson spent a restless night in Alpine, where sparks from the advancing blaze started a "spot fire" near the elementary school where she is based.
"These fire plumes, when they put out embers, can start fires four miles away," she said.
The forest is so dry, she said, that "it's 100 percent it will start a new fire."
That spotting has occurred all along the fire, which is now burning east of Arizona 191 in places.
The fire started Sunday in the Bear Wallow Wilderness area, east of Arizona 191 and about 13 miles southwest of Alpine.
Fire crews from "all over the state" are preparing to defend homes and businesses in the mountain communities. "They're providing protection for all of our homes," said Johnson, who had to evacuate her own home in Nutrioso.
"It's a little hard to swallow sometimes, but that's just life," she said.
No new evacuations were announced Friday, but residents of Round Valley just need to keep in mind that a big fire is burning nearby, said Richard Guinn, Apache County sheriff's spokesman.
It's hard to miss, he said. "I'm in St. Johns, 30 to 40 miles away, and I'm looking at a plume that is 30,000 feet high and a mile wide," he said.
Arizona Wildfire Activity
Wallow Fire
• Started: May 29
• Burned: More than 120,600 acres
Horseshoe 2 Fire
• Started: May 8
• Burned: 90,200 acres
Murphy Fire
• Started: May 30
• Burned: About 21,000 acres
FOREST CLOSED
The Apache National Forest, where the fire is burning, announced the closure of all its roads, trails and campgrounds Friday. The Sit-greaves National Forest to the west imposed stricter fire restrictions.
Contact reporter Tom Beal at tbeal@azstarnet.com or 573-4158.
