Winds drop but still threaten Ariz. fire

Firefighters raced Friday to extend their control over Arizona's massive Wallow wildfire, burning near the New Mexico border, before winds kicked up again. Winds diminished to 15 mph to 20 mph, providing a respite from higher winds that fanned the more than week-old blaze that already had burned 408,000 acres about 637 square miles forcing evacuations and destroying or damaging more than 50 buildings, The Arizona Republic reported. The National Weather Service said 15 mph winds were expected to continue through Friday night but predicted winds gusting to 30 mph for Saturday. "We have about 24 hours to hit everything hard before this new front comes in," Pinetop Fire Department spokesman Kelly Wood told the newspaper. The fire was reported 5 percent contained late Thursday. "It doesn't matter if they're rich or poor, if they live in a mansion or if they live in a very small house, the pain on people's faces is exactly the same," Jim Whittington of the incident management team told KSAZ-TV, Phoenix. The Wallow fire was reportedly sparked by a campfire but the cause is officially undetermined and remains under investigation, officials said. Residents from mountainside communities such as Greer, Alpine and Nutrioso, known as vacation spots, were evacuated as the Wallow fire advanced. A pre-evacuation alert was issued for Greens Peak, Hidden Meadow and the surrounding areas, KSAZ reported. Across the state line, New Mexico authorities issued a pre-evacuation alert for the town of Luna, where 100 homes already have been evacuated.