ST. JOHNS, Ariz., June 4 (UPI) -- Arizona's Wallow wildfire grew substantially overnight to 140,000 acres, becoming the state's third-largest wildfire, officials said Saturday.
"Luckily, the winds are going to slightly decrease today so we should be able to get our aerial resources in," Maricopa Fire Department spokesman Brad Pitassi told The Arizona Republic. "But if a couple strong wind gusts hit, there's no telling how far this fire could reach."
Gov. Jan Brewer will visit the area Saturday and meet with fire officials, the newspaper said.
The fire doubled in size Friday to more than 120,000 acres, consuming 60,000 acres in two days and forcing the evacuation of more than 2,000 residents.
Flames burned six vacation cabins and an equestrian resort about 8 miles from where it started, the Arizona Daily Star reported Saturday.
Officials said they're concerned the Wallow Fire could endanger the communities of Greer, Springerville and Eagar.
"The fire still has zero containment. The wind is spiking up. Today will be worse than yesterday, and yesterday was a bad day," said Apache County Manager Delwin P. Wengert. "The humidity is low, the winds are about 30 mph and they just can't seem to contain it. They're really just trying to protect structures right now and stay out of the fire. Our main fear is that it will continue to burn toward Round Valley."
A Type 1 Incident Management Team, which fights the most complex fires, assumed control of the fire Friday, said Mary Johnson, spokeswoman for the Eastern Arizona team previously fighting the fire.
"We're doing the best we can," said Johnson, "but you know the wind is in charge."
