PHOENIX, July 8 (UPI) -- Rolling blackouts could hit the Phoenix area Thursday as wildfires threatened two major power lines serving the area.
Utility officials scrambled to repair a Phoenix substation knocked out by an unrelated fire earlier in the week and are concerned the Maricopa County's power supply might not be enough to meet demand should the fires force the shutdown of either of the two high-voltage lines currently threatened by fires.
Gov. Janet Napolitano canceled a scheduled trip to Chicago to monitor the situation in her state where fires have burned more than 143,000 acres of parched mountain forest.
In addition to the power lines, fire also continues to threaten the Mount Graham International Observatory in the Coronado National Forest. Hot shot crews planned to continue the backbreaking job of clearing fire breaks and setting backfires to protect the observatory and numerous summer homes in the area.
