Crews gain on blaze near Flagstaff
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- An estimated 1,000 Flagstaff residents evacuated from their homes by a raging wildfire might be allowed to return home today as firefighters made progress in containing the 14,000-acre blaze.
Massive clouds of smoke continued to choke Flagstaff on Tuesday as 800 firefighters battled to keep a nearly 22-square-mile wildfire from heading toward the mountain town of about 60,000.
By late Tuesday afternoon, authorities announced that the Schultz fire was
20 percent contained, and Coconino County sheriff's officials said a decision would be made sometime this morning whether evacuees would be able to return home.
Crews continued to work on containment lines on the south and north sides where the fire is most active, fire spokeswoman Erin Phelps said.
The fire's southern edge is about five miles from Flagstaff, where rocky terrain and rolling hills make the ground more difficult for fire crews.
Four heavy air tankers were on standby. They're capable of carrying more than 2,000 gallons of fire retardant used. The tankers are part of 19 under contract through the U.S. Forest Service to fight fires across the country.
Roughly 80 firefighters from Nevada have been dispatched to combat the fire in Arizona, including three 20-member hotshot crews.
The firefighters are from the Bureau of Land Management, the Nevada Division of Forestry and the U.S. Forest Service.
Mike Dondero, fire management officer for the Nevada Division of Forestry in Carson City, said he expected additional firefighters to be dispatched in the coming days
Strong winds had quickly fanned the fire, which broke out Sunday.
No major injuries have been reported, and no structures have burned.
Authorities have pointed to an abandoned campfire as the cause of the blaze. Campfires will be prohibited in three Arizona forests starting today. Conditions are dry despite record amounts of snowfall last winter.
Another fire burning on the southeast side of Flagstaff was 80 percent contained Tuesday.
A third fire 11 miles northeast of Williams was expected to be fully contained today.
President Barack Obama spoke with Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer on Tuesday to assure her of the federal government's continued support in firefighting efforts, according to a news release from the White House.
Two requests from the state for federal fire management assistance funds have been granted, the release said.
In Colorado, firefighters battled a 700-acre wildfire Tuesday west of Canon City near the scenic Royal Gorge Bridge. The blaze has forced an unknown number of residents from their homes and destroyed several structures. It wasn't known whether any of those were homes.
Review-Journal writer Lawrence Mower contributed to this report.
