SHOW LOW β Fire lines were holding Thursday in the fight against a wildfire threatening several communities with thousands of residents in east-central Arizona.
βThe winds werenβt as bad, and the backburns did exactly what we wanted them to do,β Navajo County Sheriff KC Clark said at a late afternoon news conference.
The blaze still was burning about a mile from locations that would trigger mandatory evacuations. But βif we get through today, I think weβll be all right,β Clark said.
Fire officials feared a repeat of Wednesday, when the fire broke out around noon 12 miles south of Show Low.
Wind gusts of 35 mph pushed the fire burning brush and ponderosa pine to 1.5 square miles within three hours and nearly 4 square miles by 5 p.m. Residents in five communities were put on pre-evacuation alert.
But authorities said winds were lighter Thursday. About 600 personnel were on the ground battling the flames as successful controlled burns helped slow the head of the fire at its northeast point.
βWe really worked it hard. Lots of burnout operations,β fire operations chief Rocky Gilbert said. βWe didnβt have any of the fire going over lines that we didnβt want it to.β
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. Air tankers were dropping retardant and water to stop the flames from spreading.
Residents have been urged to prepare βgo kitsβ with essential belongings such as medications, make arrangements for pets and put green tags on their doors or mailboxes so authorities know homes have been evacuated.
Areas under pre-evacuation advisories included Show Low and Pinetop-Lakeside. Only a few homes were evacuated.
The fireβs cause was under investigation. A 20-mile stretch of U.S. 60 remained closed.
Kim Reabe was among the Linden residents preparing for possible evacuations. Some people had already left to avoid being caught in a traffic jam later, she said. βItβs terrifying to have to evacuate. ... People donβt want to have to deal with that,β Reabe said.
She said smoke from the fire caused her to cough β even inside her home. She also reported long lines at grocery stores, gas stations and pharmacies.
The region is popular with visitors seeking to avoid heat in Arizonaβs desert cities.
The trigger-point system and pre-evacuation advisories were devised after the devastating Rodeo-Chediski Fire of 2002. It was one of the worst fires in Arizona history, burning more than 730 square miles and destroying hundreds of homes in Pinedale and other small communities.
