3 held for Albuquerque wildfires

ALBUQUERQUE, June 27 (UPI) -- Three people are in custody in Albuquerque in connection with wildfires that raged for two days, a report said Friday.

Mayor Martin Chávez stopped short of calling the suspects' apprehension arrests but he said charges were expected to follow soon.

Soldiers and airmen in Humvees and on foot began patrolling the 19 miles of wooded areas Thursday.

Troops from a multi-agency task force began their tours as firefighters continued to battle flare-ups from the second blaze in two days.

Nick Bakas, Albuquerque's chief public safety officer, described this week's fires as "The greatest catastrophe Albuquerque has ever faced." The fires that forced hundreds of people from their homes Tuesday and Wednesday.

An aerial flyover Thursday by the New Mexico Department of Public Safety estimated the scorch to cover 165 acres

Fireworks are the suspected cause of the first fire and arson is being blamed for the second.