A massive wildfire continued to spread in eastern Arizona Thursday threatening high voltage electricity lines that transmit power from a nuclear power station to more than 300,000 customers in New Mexico and Texas, according to dpa. The fire was less than a kilometer away from the transmission towers which could buckle under the extreme heat generated by the blaze, Apache County sheriff spokesman Richard Guinn warned on National Public Radio. Another danger was that the heat would cause the line to short circuit. But after 12 days of battling the blaze in relentless heat and high winds, firefighters were finally getting help from the weather Thursday as winds died down. On Wednesday strong gusts sent spot fires ahead of the main blaze, hampering efforts to save the towns of Eagar and Springerville and prompting mandatory evacuations for all the towns' residents. So far some 8,000 people have been forced to flee from the flames. No injuries or deaths have been reported but 11 structures have been destroyed. There is confusion about how large an area has been scorched by the blaze. Earlier figures said that over 157,000 hectares had been burnt, but according to the Arizona Republic newspaper, those estimates have been revised downward to 136,000 hectares after more detailed analysis of fire maps. The fire is still zero per cent contained. The Wallow fire, currently the second largest in Arizona records, was ignited 12 days ago by an out-of-control campfire, and has been fanned by high temperatures and strong winds. Over 2,000 firefighters are trying to contain the blaze. The worst fire in Arizona history was the Rodeo-Chediski Fire in 2002, in which two fires joined together to burn almost 190,000 hectares.
