PHOENIX, June 5 (UPI) -- A week-old wildfire that sent 2,200 people fleeing burned its way across eastern Arizona Sunday defying firefighting efforts, a state emergency spokesman said.
Fire officials told The (Phoenix) Arizona Republic the Wallow Fire -- the state's worst -- had charred at least 144,000 acres, a downward revision from earlier estimates. No injuries or deaths had been reported.
"We have zero percent containment," Brad Pitassi, a spokesman for the Southwest Area Incident Management Team, told CNN. "We may be just at the beginning of a very nasty fight."
Incident commander Joe Reinarz told the Wallow Fire's progress had slowed but was still advancing about 6 miles in a day. Stiff winds have been responsible for the fire's spread, with embers blowing for miles, officials said.
In total, 2,140 firefighters from Arizona and across the country have assembled to battle the fire, the Republic reported. "Today we are doing indirect firefighting, which means we are going ahead of the fire and trying to box it in," said Eric Nietzel, a spokesman for the Show Low Fire Department.
Alpine, Nuntrioso, Hannagan Meadow Lodge, Sprucedale Guest Ranch, Brentwood Church Camp, Hannagan campground, KP campground, West Fork Black River campground, East Fork Black River campground communities have been evacuated, Greer was under voluntary evacuation orders.
Smoke was seen as far away as Albuquerque, CNN said.
State officials said another blaze in southeastern Arizona was about 55 percent contained. And yet another fire northeast of the Wallow Fire had burned 22,000 acres and was 15 percent contained.
Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer told reporters Saturday she was considering asking for federal disaster funding for the burned-out areas.
