TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) -- Scores of lightning strikes between Saturday and Monday triggered a massive scramble for firefighting resources across the state and beyond.
Meanwhile, residents began returning Monday to a Dudleyville mobile home park evacuated a day earlier because of a wildfire that destroyed three homes and 10 other buildings, including sheds.
About 100 residents living in about 30 trailer homes at the Valentine Trailer Park and a few other homes nearby were evacuated on Sunday, but began returning home Monday, said Pinal County Sheriff's Cmdr. Jeffrey Karns.
The Indian Hills fire started Sunday in brush, grass and vegetation east of the San Pedro River and grew Monday to at least 550 acres, said Cliff Pearlberg, another State Land spokesman.
Firefighting crews used bulldozers from south to north to reinforce lines to protect homes in the area, Pearlberg said.
The fire moved both north and south Monday parallel to the river and west of Arizona 77.
Some 135 firefighters from 11 fire departments and one contractor battled the blaze, and equipment also was provided from Gila County.
The fire's cause was still under investigation.
FLORIDA FIRE
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) -- Fire officials reported good progress Monday in efforts to subdue the 22,500-acre Florida fire, 11 miles east of Green Valley.
The fire, which was 50 percent contained, remained a half-mile from 30 homes and cabins in Madera Canyon and a mile from a major astronomical observatory on nearby Mount Hopkins. Both areas were evacuated last week.
Firefighters successfully conducted a 500-acre prescribed burn in the Madera Canyon area, carefully controlling its conditions, fire spokesman Bob Summerfield said. The burnout slowly backed the fire down a hillside on the east side of the canyon, burning grass and brush close to the ground while keeping the fire from gathering intensity and climbing into trees and their crowns.
Doing so was intended to remove fuels that would burn otherwise with more intensity, particularly in lower-humidity conditions, that would be more likely to consume the trees.
Summerfield said plans called for a similar prescribed burn Tuesday to the south, around the head end of the canyon, but over a smaller area.
Firefighters continued building containment lines on the south end of the fire, but much of the northern and eastern perimeter of the fire was cool.
The canyon and the observatory both benefited from higher humidity and weekend rainfall, especially on Saturday night, when a quarter-inch to a half-inch of rain fell.
The homes and cabins in Madera Canyon and the staff of the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory remained evacuated. ''The observatory is looking real good,'' Summerfield said. He noted that Dan Oltrogge, commander of the incident team fighting the fire, said most of the threat there is gone.
But until fire containment lines are completed in the south end of the Josephine Canyon area and Jack Mountain, the evacuation won't be lifted, Summerfield said.
About 150 personnel were released from the Florida fire Monday to work on other lightning-sparked blazes across the state. A total of 872 people remained working on the fire, which was started by lightning on July 7. There was no estimate for full containment.
TONTO FOREST FIRES
PHOENIX (AP) -- Firefighters fought at least three fires Monday on the Tonto National Forest, all started over the weekend by lightning.
Firefighters were successful in eliminating a threat to structures from the 200-to 400-acre Salome fire about 10 miles north of Roosevelt Lake, Tonto spokeswoman Tammy Pike said.
''They were able to save the Greenback Ranch,'' along with a historic cabin that had been wrapped in protective fire retardant material, Pike said.
A firefighting team from New Mexico was brought in to take over the battle against the 5,000-acre Edge Complex fire north of the Four Peaks Wilderness area. The wilderness is about 10 miles east of Roosevelt Lake.
Crews also worked to fight the 500-acre Oak fire; the fire was determined to be further north than first believed, was determined not to be a threat to a communications center and also was moving away from Punkin Center several miles to the southeast, Pike said.
In all, about 40 lightning-sparked fires were reported on the Tonto during the weekend, Tonto spokeswoman Emily Garber said.
PRESCOTT FOREST FIRES
PRESCOTT, Ariz. (AP) -- In central Arizona's Prescott National Forest, crews and air tankers attacked two lightning-sparked fires Monday that merged the day before and nearly doubled in size to 3,500 acres.
The Butte Complex fire was burning northward, toward Cedar Bench Wilderness. It began as the Butte fire, located 13 miles southwest of Camp Verde, and the Arnold fire, 10 miles south-southwest of Camp Verde. The blaze burned grasses and juniper woodlands but was not threatening any structures, said Debbie Maneely, a Prescott National Forest spokeswoman.
Meanwhile, lightning also triggered five other fires in a five-hour span Sunday on the Prescott National Forest, ranging from a quarter-acre to 80 acres in size. All were estimated at 50 percent contained and none threatened any structures, Maneely said.
