FOSTER KLUG
Associated Press Writer
SHOW LOW, Ariz. (AP) _ Two wildfires raging unchecked through paper-dry forest merged Sunday into a single blaze of about 300,000 acres that threatened to burn into this evacuated town, a fire official said.
Before they came together, the fires had destroyed about 185 homes elsewhere in the highlands of eastern Arizona, and as many as 25,000 people had fled more than half a dozen towns, including Show Low.
Having a merged fire makes in easier to fight in one respect, said Larry Humphrey, the fire incident commander.
``Before we couldn't put people in the middle of this fire. With one perimeter it makes it a little simpler,'' Humphrey said.
On Sunday night, the fire remained outside Show Low, though a few spot fires had been reported on the western part of town, he said.
Officials had initially said they expected the fire to enter the town about mid-afternoon.
``We were just lucky,'' said Humphrey. ``We ran a lot of retardant on it. It's sitting, waiting on us.
Trees could be seen exploding into flame on the western horizon, and three or four slurry bombers dipped low behind trees, making several passes. Several brown columns of smoke swirled in the air. The sun glowed deep red through the dirty cloud.
``Sometimes these fires make a big run on one day and then they rest on the next day and make another run the next. it's definitely still going to get into Show Low. There's no doubt,'' Humphrey said.
Hundreds of Homes Saved by Firefighters
Of the homes destroyed, 115 burned in towns just west of Show Low. Seventy were in Heber-Overgaard, a community 35 miles west of Show Low that was overrun Saturday by the other fire.
Hundreds more were saved by firefighters, Paxon said.
Show Low's 7,700 residents were ordered out late Saturday after the flames jumped a fire line crews were building about eight miles west of town, and the 3,500 residents of neighboring Pinetop-Lakeside followed early Sunday.
Most of Show Low was a virtual ghost town. At a Toyota dealership, all the new cars had been moved off the lot. The hardware store, the Safeway, the gas stations _ all were empty.
At the Kmart and Family Dollar, RVs, pickups and cars covered the parking lot, now a safehouse of sorts for abandoned family vehicles.
Humphrey said since firefighters couldn't stop the flames from entering Show Low, their plan called for pulling back, letting the fire hit and then fighting where they could.
Firefighters assessing the town in advance of the fire were using red ribbons to mark homes that they didn't think they'd be able to save.
``We'll spend our time on the ones we can possibly save,'' Humphrey said. ``It's a tough call, but we have to make it.''
The wildfire had burned through parts of the evacuated towns of Pinedale and Clay Springs, and flames broke through a bulldozed line Saturday night and into Heber-Overgaard, an already-evacuated community of 2,700. Air tankers dropped slurry directly on homes in a last-ditch effort to save them.
The area, popular with hikers and Phoenix-area residents escaping the desert heat, is covered with pinon, juniper and pine trees made explosively dry by years of drought.
The largest fire, burning since Tuesday, was thought to be human-caused, although authorities didn't know whether it was an accident or arson. The other was started Thursday by a lost hiker signaling for help.
Residents evacuated Saturday night were told to head to shelters in Eagar, 30 miles to the east, and Holbrook, 30 miles to the north. Residents evacuated from the Heber-Overgaard area were sent to Payson.
``I'm thinking about the whole town. This is probably going to drive everybody out,'' said Walker, who has spent the past four nights in her motor home outside the Eagar shelter. ``Our livelihood depends on everyone else's livelihood. The economy is going to crash.''
Nearly Three-Quarters of a Million Acres Burning in West
Across the West, 17 large fires were burning on 721,806 acres in seven states on Sunday, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.
In Colorado, crews fought a 67,700-acre blaze that had destroyed 45 homes in the southwestern corner of the state. A larger, 137,000-acre blaze south of Denver had destroyed at least 114 homes and was 60 percent contained. The National Interagency Fire Center said about 2,300 people remained under evacuation orders, down from 8,900 last week.
