LOS ANGELES (AFP) – A massive fire in the US state of Arizona has destroyed 27 homes and injured three people, but less powerful winds are helping efforts to contain the blaze, a spokeswoman said Friday.
Some 6,000 people have been ordered to evacuate from two towns in the path of the blaze, which has now consumed some 165,000 hectares (640 square miles), according to the latest update from the firefighters' command center.
More than 3,100 emergency workers are now fighting to douse the flames near the New Mexico border, and the blaze -- the second biggest ever in Arizona -- has now been five percent contained, as opposed to zero percent before Friday.
"We are making progress on suppressing the fire. In the last couple of days the winds have been very favorable," Susan Zornek, a spokeswoman for the Wallow Fire incident command center, told AFP.
Earlier in the week a "red flag" warning was in effect, because of high winds which were fanning the flames.
The towns of Eagar and Springerville were ordered to evacuate Wednesday, while warnings to be prepared to evacuate at short notice have been issued for a handful of other towns including one over the border in New Mexico.
On Thursday a huge DC-10 air tanker which can drop some 13,000 gallons (49,000 liters) of water or retardant at a time was brought in, adding to the 16 helicopters already working to douse the flames.
Some 220 fire engines were tackling the blaze, which started on May 29 and has so far destroyed 27 homes, 24 outbuildings, and is threatening a further 4,000 homes, according to a Friday morning update.
Arizona Governor Jan Brewer on Monday signed a declaration of emergency in response to the wildfires, releasing $200,000 from an emergency response fund.
