A ferocious wildfire that has driven thousands from their homes in eastern Arizona grew to nearly 500 square miles (1,300 square kilometers) Tuesday and threatened to spread to two of the most populous towns in the mountains, AP reported. The blaze, now the second-largest in state history, began more than a week ago, casting smoke as far east as Iowa and forcing some planes to divert from Albuquerque, New Mexico, which is some 200 miles (320 kilometers) away. The fire has grown most on the north side, as winds whipped flames through ponderosa pine in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest, fire incident command spokeswoman Dellora Guager said. Winds whipping the fire Monday drove the last holdouts from the small resort town of Greer. At daylight Tuesday, Greer, Alpine and the other tiny resort towns near the New Mexico border were still standing. The future of the towns remained in doubt, as fierce winds were poised to return Tuesday afternoon. Authorities warned the 7,000 residents of Springerville and Eager that they may have to join about 2,700 others who have already fled. «The worst-case scenario is we're going to order an evacuation and the fire is going to burn up to the homes here. Or to wherever we stand and defend, hopefully not further than that,» Miller said. The blaze started May 29. Smoke from the fire was being carried by a ridge of high pressure as far as central Iowa, said Kyle Fredin, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Denver. The smoke was also visible in New Mexico, Colorado, Nebraska and Kansas. Another major wildfire was burning in southeastern Arizona, threatening two communities. A 160-square-mile (414-square-kilometer) blaze has devoured two summer cabins and four outbuildings since it started May 8.
