Arizona Wildfire Burns 250 Homes, Emergency Declared

June 20, 2003
By David Schwartz

PHOENIX (Reuters) - A wildfire destroyed half a mountaintop community in southern Arizona on Thursday but the inhabitants had already been evacuated and no casualties were reported, firefighters said.  

With gusts of up to 60 mph, the fire raged through thick Ponderosa pine and consumed about 250 homes and other structures in Summerhaven on Mt. Lemmon near Tucson, said Larry Humphrey, who is leading the fire-fighting effort.

The buildings were all believed to be empty.

About 640 firefighters were on scene to battle the intense blaze that had charred more than 4,000 acres since it broke out Tuesday afternoon, forcing an estimated 450 people from their homes and businesses.

The cause of the fire remained under investigation.

"This is steep canyon country and the trees are so dense that you can't see through them," said Carrie Templin, a fire spokeswoman. "We have no estimate for containment or control. We have a battle on our hands."

At one point firefighters had to be pulled from the area temporarily because of dangerous conditions, leaving air tankers to try to halt the growing blaze. Firefighters worked amid downed power lines and exploding propane tanks.

Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano declared a state of emergency late on Thursday, freeing an initial $75,000 to fight the fire. The state's National Guard also was put on standby.

The immediate priority was to keep the fire from reaching a nearby development and cluster of communications towers as well as a University of Arizona telescope, Napolitano said.

"Unfortunately, this emergency is not over yet," she said.

The affected area, a popular place for residents to escape Arizona's summer heat, is dotted with vacation homes amid the pines.

It was the first major blaze this season in Arizona. The state's largest fire was sparked exactly a year ago, an inferno known as the Rodeo-Chediski fire that claimed 469,000 acres and roughly 500 structures before it was extinguished.

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