As Arizona Fire Grows, Winds Spread a Smoky Haze

Source: Associated Press

TUCSON (AP) — A 225-square-mile fire that has grown into the third-largest in Arizona’s history covered a mountain vacation town in a smoky fog on Sunday, with winds blowing smoke from the burning pine forest well into Colorado and New Mexico.

Crews have not contained the fire near the New Mexico state line, which has forced residents to evacuate from several mountain towns. The fire has burned more than 27,000 acres and caused the evacuation of more than 200 buildings.

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In Nutrioso, about 15 miles east of Greer, the blaze came within two miles of homes, and heavy yellowish smoke in nearby Alpine reduced visibility to about a quarter-mile. Smoke was expected as far north as Gallup, N.M., more than 100 miles northeast of Greer. The haze could reach as far as Albuquerque by Monday.

A spokesman for the fire management team, Brad Pitassi, said 1,300 firefighters were at the blaze, including some “from Oregon all the way to New York.”

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/06/us/06wildfires.html

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Fire, flood, tornado... been a busy spring.

What would we all do without our various taxpayer-funded fire departments, emergency responders, social services during natural disasters such as this or after an F5 tornado...and MFs such as eric cantor, r-virginia (& other cowardly republicans playing dirty politics after natural disasters) threatening to withold federal emergency funds w|o finding the money somewhere else within the 'budget' is unbelieveably despicable & evil to say the least! people of virginia, are you proud of this piece of human waste representing you as your congressman & as House Maj. Leader\ i would be utterly embarassed & ashamed! 2012 can't get here soon enough! if you are a senior (& on medicare\ social security) & vote republican even after knowing how your congresscriter would vote to end medicare\ss as it exists today you are more idiotic &braindead than i realized! God help your wretched souls!

Hopefully, this gets handled as quickly as possible.

as well as foreign labor instead of hiring Americans at living wage. Budget, budget, BAH!

in southeastern Arizona the wind usually is a south wind blowing north,I wonder if that's a divine message for the hateful citizens in Arizona?The smoke not only get in your eyes but your lungs .I am convinced justice is being meted out to the unjust.