PHOENIX (AP) -- A wildfire sparked by a fatal crash on Interstate 17 charred 1,500 acres in north Phoenix before being contained Monday night, firefighters said.
Crews planned to stay overnight to douse any hot spots, said Elby Bushong, a division chief with the Phoenix Fire Department.
The blaze broke out after a driver heading south on I-17 lost control and his car careened into the desert west of the interstate and the car then caught fire, according to Bushong.
Authorities said the driver, whose name was not immediately released, was dead at the scene.
In the following hours, Bushong said erratic winds drove the flames first south, then west and north, sending crews scrambling to surround it.
No homes or businesses were threatened by the blaze and no injuries were reported.
Helicopters and two single-engine planes from the Arizona State Land Department made repeated runs, dropping water on the flames.
Copyright 2005 Associated Press
