TUCSON, May 24 (UPI) -- Wildfires threatened hundreds of homes in rural areas of the Southwest Friday, including a 9,500-acre blaze near Tucson in southern Arizona and a 4,300-acre fire in northern New Mexico near Santa Fe.
The Bullock Fire, about 15 miles northeast of Tucson, was considered the top priority for firefighting commanders at the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho, according to spokesperson Janelle Smith.
About 700 homes and a ski area were considered threatened by the Bullock fire and the Pima County Sheriff put homeowners on alert in case an evacuation was necessary, she said. The fire was considered 35 percent contained early Friday.
The Arizona fire, of unknown origin, broke out Tuesday in grasslands, oak woodland, chapparal, and ponderosa pine in the rugged country near Tucson. Firefighters were climbing steep slopes and rock cliffs, with a lack of road access.
"This fire is burning very actively," Smith said.
Hundreds of firefighters backed up by air tankers and helicopters were battling the fires in the Southwest and about 300 people were still out of their homes Friday in northern New Mexico where 4,300-acre Borrego Fire burned in the Santa Fe National Forest.
Residents of the small towns of Truchas and Cordova were asked to leave their homes Wednesday when the wind-driven fire made a dangerous run through tinder-dry timber, increasing from 400 acres to 4,000 acres in a matter of hours.
"It may grow in size if we get more high winds," said Charlie Jankiewicz, a spokesman for the U.S. Forest Service on Friday.
Jankiewicz said homeowners who left their homes Wednesday may not be allowed back in until Friday or Saturday, depending on the course of the fire.
No structures have been lost in the Borrego Fire and only two minor injuries reported.
To the north in Colorado, firefighters at the Schnoover Fire, about 40 miles southwest of Denver, got a break during the night. Less than an inch of rain fell in the lower elevations and from 1 inch to 2 inches of snow on the mountain ridges.
"It was very welcome because it allows us to put a line right against the fire and help us make advancements but there still is no estimate of full containment," said Ron Hodgson, a fire information spokesman in Denver.
About 20 percent of the lightning-caused fire is considered contained and about 60 families remain out of their homes. There have been no injuries but 13 buildings have been lost, including five cabins at a YMCA camp and four homes.
Hodgson warned Colorado residents that the fire danger remains for the Memorial Day weekend despite the rain and snow. He said high winds were expected to return and quickly dry out the timber and undergrowth that makes the fuel for the fast-moving fires.
The drought in the Rocky Mountains has brought an early fire season to the region and in Idaho City, Idaho on Thursday federal officials and western governors agreed to implement an historic 10-year wildfire management plan.
"The implementation plan provides the detailed framework for reducing fire risks and rehabilitating and restoring ecosystem health based on sound scientific research," said Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman. "Through active forest management, we will reduce wildland fire risks and improve ecosystem health while producing commercial and value-added products and helping local economies."
Interior Secretary Gale Norton also attended the Idaho City conference and participated in the announcement with Govs. Dirk Kempthorne of Idaho and John Kitzhaber of Oregon, who jointly lead the Western Governors' Association committee on wildland fire and forest health restoration issues.
(Reported by Phil Magers in Dallas)
