SPRINGERVILLE, Ariz. (AP) -- A wildfire burning in far eastern Arizona had grown to about 5,000 acres Thursday and was nearing an evacuation trigger point for the small community of Nutrioso.
Officials, however, didn't anticipate evacuations would be necessary on Thursday.
The fire remained three to four miles from the community but was less than a mile from the area designated as a trigger point for evacuations, said Bob Dyson, a spokesman for the crew fighting the fire in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest.
The fire was about 4,600 acres early Thursday but had grown to about 5,000 acres by late afternoon, fire spokesman Dorman McGann said.
About 500 people _ up from nearly 300 on Wednesday _ were working to stop the blaze Thursday. Engine crews and structure protection firefighters were in Nutrioso assessing the danger.
``They're not taking any chances with it,'' McGann said.
The fire, first reported Tuesday, is believed to have been human-caused. It was considered about 10 percent contained Thursday.
McGann said crews were fairly successful holding the flames within the fire lines on Thursday, even as the winds pushed the blaze toward Nutrioso.
Heavy winds reaching 40 to 50 mph on Wednesday hampered firefighting efforts, blowing embers across fire lines and grounding air tankers.
The blaze was burning in meadows, pine, spruce and fir. The spruce and fir areas were proving especially troublesome because they ignite easily and create a lot of sparks and flying embers, Dyson said.
Lillian Chavez, emergency management coordinator for Apache County, said the residents and visitors in the Nutrioso area were warned on Tuesday to be prepared in case an evacuation was necessary.
She said the community has a small number of full-time residents but grows in the summer as people flee the hot desert weather for cabins in the community.
Nutrioso has one restaurant in town and the closest supplies and gas are 8 miles away in Alpine.
``I feel like a clock wound up waiting for the alarm to go off,'' said Penny Chipman, a retired nurse and teacher who has lived in Nutrioso for almost 10 years.
Chipman, 60, said she and her husband have had their truck packed with necessities and sentimental items since the Apache County Sheriff's Office told them to be ready to evacuate in as little as 15 minutes.
Some residents had evacuated livestock from the town to nearby Springerville and other communities not immediately threatened by the fire, Chipman said.
Kathy Reidhead, the only worker at Nutrioso's post office, said officials held a meeting Thursday morning outside the post office explaining to residents what they need to do if there is an evacuation.
Reidhead, who has lived in Nutrioso for the past 35 years, said she has not yet packed her own things but planned to do so on Thursday.
___
Associated Press writer Amanda Lee Myers in Phoenix contributed to this report.
