SPRINGERVILLE, Ariz. (AP) -- A fire had charred an estimated 350 acres by Tuesday night in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests near the Arizona-New Mexico border, authorities said.
The Three Forks Fire was not threatening any structures and there was no immediate estimate for containment, said forest spokesman Bob Dyson.
He said the fire was reported at around noon Tuesday and officials believe the blaze was likely human-caused.
The fire was burning mostly spruce and fir trees about 5 miles east of Big Lake.
Dyson said 140 firefighters were at the scene along with four single-engine air tankers, three helicopters, five engines and four bulldozers.
Two U.S. Air Force C-130 airplanes each dropped a load of about 2,700 gallons of retardant on the fire before returning to Williams Gateway Airport in Mesa to reload. They each completed one more drop before nightfall curtailed their operations.
Dyson said ground crews were building fire lines overnight on the east and west ends of the fire ``to try and pinch it off.''
Winds that hampered crews Tuesday afternoon had subsided by nightfall and Dyson said that was also helping firefighters.
Arizona's fire season started in May and smoking and campfire restrictions are already in effect on all national forests around the state.
