SAFFORD, Ariz. – A mountainside wildfire was within a quarter-mile of a $200 million mountaintop observatory Wednesday, but firefighters were most concerned about summer homes in two small communities that were in the path of the flames.
Crews continued cutting vegetation Wednesday in the Mount Graham communities, where cabins have been drenched with water and wrapped with aluminum to deflect heat.
Officials were hopeful that they could save the Mount Graham International Observatory, which was surrounded by a broad cleared area and had sprinklers.
The same blaze nearing the observatory was about 1 1/2 to 2 miles from Columbine, a community of 15 homes and cabins.
The second blaze was between the observatory and Turkey Flat. It was within a mile of Turkey Flat on Wednesday and officials were worried that it would strike the community of about 74 summer homes, said fire crew spokesman Bill Duemling.
The two fires had earlier prompted evacuation of the observatory and both communities.
“That has the potential to build heat and start marching up the canyon,” said Dan Oltrogge, an incident commander for the team fighting the fire. “The weather is not giving us much of a break today.”
Officials said the blazes had charred more than 22,100 acres combined. Both were 10 percent contained.
Despite the firefighting efforts, some Turkey Flat residents feared the blaze would reach the community’s cabins, many of which have been passed down in families for generations.
“I just have a feeling that it’s going to be all gone,” said Judy Rhoads, adding that she and her grandchildren cry at the thought of the family’s cabin burning.
Associated Press
A firefighting helicopter flies past a mountaintop that is engulfed in flames Wednesday near Payson, Ariz.
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