Wildfire Is Now the Largest in Arizona’s History
 

PHOENIX — The massive Wallow Fire that has raged through eastern Arizona and crossed over into neighboring New Mexico burned up so much additional acreage that it has become the largest fire in Arizona’s history, officials said Tuesday.

As of Tuesday morning, the fire had burned more than 469,000 acres, surpassing the 468,000 acres torched in the 2002 Rodeo-Chediski Fire, which affected an area not far away in Arizona’s White Mountains.

The big difference between the two megafires, though, has been the damage. The Wallow Fire has been far less destructive than its predecessor, destroying only 31 homes compared with 465 lost a decade ago.

The Wallow Fire is named after the Bear Wallow Wilderness in the Apache and Sitgreaves National Forests, where the fire is believed to have started after a campfire blew out of control on May 29. The fire was 18 percent contained as of Tuesday morning, which firefighters said represented major progress, even though containing the fire could still remain weeks away.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/15/us...es.html?ref=us


Note: Published: June 14, 2011

Clear today, but we've had many days and nights where the visibility is well under 3 miles.

Creepy.