PHOENIX, July 9 (UPI) -- Firefighters in Arizona and New Mexico Friday were on alert for new wildfires that could be triggered by lightning.
Forecasters said they expected afternoon thunderstorms to develop over the mountains, bringing lightning and fresh winds but not much rain. Similar dangerous conditions were expected to develop in the Sierra Nevada.
Fire crews already have a lot on their plate in Arizona where fires continue to threaten a mountaintop observatory and two 345-kilovolt power lines that supply electricity to the Phoenix area.
The largest blaze is the 118,300-acre Willow Fire in the Tonto National Forest north of Phoenix. The lightning-caused fire was 40-percent contained Friday morning, and incident commanders planned to burn out even more firebreaks during the day.
