NUTRIOSO, Ariz. (AP) -- Reduced wind helped firefighters subdue a 7,900-acre wildfire Saturday in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest, diminishing the threat to vacation homes and cottages in this tiny community in eastern Arizona, fire officials said.
Residents were packed and 25 fire trucks were stationed around the edges of Nutrioso but the wildfire appeared to be headed away from the community of about 500.
The fire was 40 percent contained Saturday in meadows and a mixture of pine, spruce and fir trees, and it remained a little more than a mile from the area designated as the trigger point for evacuations, authorities said.
``The threat to Nutrioso is greatly diminished. No evacuations are expected,'' said fire spokesman Jon Schendel. ``Things are looking real good.''
More than 750 personnel were fighting the blaze Saturday. Fire officials said they expected the blaze to be fully contained by Thursday.
Residents, however, were told to remain on alert.
Chip Chipman, 65, said Saturday that he and his wife still had their truck packed with essential and sentimental items.
``I can't worry too much about what I can't control,'' said Chipman. ``It is just a matter of waiting and hoping things pass us by.''
Authorities believe the blaze was started by a camper. Camping gear was found in the area but authorities had no immediate suspects, said Dyson.
In neighboring New Mexico, firefighters focused on burnout operations Saturday to ensure that a 57,500-acre wildfire in the Capitan Mountains did not get ahead of them. The fire was 80 percent contained Saturday.
The month-old fire was sparked by lightning six miles northeast of Capitan in south-central New Mexico. It has burned 12 cabins.
Fire officials said calm weather helped contain a blaze in Albuquerque along the Rio Grande that destroyed three structures and forced evacuations of more than 100 homes.
Authorities said the fire was sparked Thursday by welding or grinding equipment, and have charged three men with negligent arson.
A fire that broke out Saturday in the Zuni Mountains in western New Mexico had grown to between 500 and 700 acres and forced evacuation of a campground in a popular recreation area.
The fire was in a steep, rugged area within the Cibola National Forest near Mt. Sedgwick in western New Mexico. Fire officials said no structures were threatened.
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