Arizona's Wallow fire at 430,000 acres

PHOENIX, June 11 (UPI) -- For the first time since it started, firefighters contained parts of Arizona's Wallow fire, which grew to 430,000 acres Saturday, officials said.

Even so, the massive blaze crossed the state line into New Mexico, with firefighters working to extinguish spot fires as they popped up, The Christian Science Monitor reported.

"We expect the winds to be testing a lot of our lines out there," fire spokeswoman Karen Takai told the Monitor.

More than 3,000 firefighters managed to contain a small slice of the fire with the aid of a DC-10 tanker, while authorities in Catron County had evacuated about 100 homes near the state line, The Arizona Republic reported. The small town of Luna, N.M., was threatened, the newspaper said.

The second-largest fire in Arizona history has grown to 430,000 acres from about 386,000 Thursday, but no additional homes or buildings were lost. So far about 50 structures have burned.

"It's so long that even if it moves a little bit, it adds probably 10,000 to 20,000 acres a day," incident commander Clay Templin told the Republic.

Firefighters were able to gain a toehold in the fire because the blustery winds that were pushing it calmed down, allowing firefighters to set preventive burns and cut firebreaks in its path.

The Monitor said the heavy smoke produced by the fire was posing a potential health hazard for eastern Arizona.

"The amount of particulate matter, smoke in the air, is a big issue," Takai said, noting the risk was greatest for the elderly, young children and people with respiratory illnesses.

In the Greer area, firefighter Matt Howell, 28, said the smoke was making his work that much more difficult.

"You get in there and it's hard to breathe," he said. "You start coughing, can't get that good nice breath of air."