UPDATE:
There is a bad news/good news aspect to the massive Wallow fire.
The bad news is that the wildfire grew from 233 thousand acres to 389 thousand acres in just one day and now threatens more populated areas; primarily Eagar,AZ (pop 4500) and Springerville, AZ (pop 2,000) just north of Eagar.
Firefighters are bulldozing a fire line along highway 260 for containment.
The really bad news is that the highway 260 fire line cuts the town of Eagar in half. Half the population of Eagar lives south of highway 260 in threatened areas.
Residents south of highway 260 are urged to evacuate north through Springerville to highway 60 and go on to Show Low about 45 miles away.
The good news is that winds are dying down and, finally, allows fire fighters a good opportunity to contain the fire.
For the most part the wildfire has now burned up over the top of the rugged Mogollon Rim and the Ponderosa Pine forests. Its now up into scrub, sage and grasslands. That means there is less fuel for the fire to burn and firefighters are on flat terrain.
If winds do not pick up again the fire will be contained.
NOTE:
There are two other major wildfires in progress in Arizona further south.
The Horseshoe Two Fire has burned over 100,000 acres.
At 67,000 acres burned, the Murphy Complex Fire has become the 11th largest in Arizona history.
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