The Arizona wildfire that has destroyed nearly 8 square miles in eastern Arizona’s White Mountains is holding steady.

The crews have gained some success with burnout operations and retardant drops as winds have slowed down in recent days, said Bill Morse, spokesman for the Southwest Area Incident Management Team.

The fire remained zero percent contained, but crews are confident about the east and south flanks and plan to attack the blaze directly on the northeast side, where it had been spreading in previous days. Earlier, flames jumped containment lines on the eastern flank.

Communities populated with summer homes remained under mandatory evacuation orders because of the fire about 135 miles east of Phoenix, near the New Mexico line. A total of 37 summer homes in the Red Cabin Ranch, Carlock Ranch and Whiting homestead areas remain evacuated as a precaution. Authorities said more than 90 structures in 3 communities could be threatened, including homes, barns and sheds.

There have been no reported injuries, and no new evacuations or notices to be ready to flee have been issued.
Incident commander Matt Reidy said forest-thinning work that has been done in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests helped firefighters. However, an area of mixed conifer that wasn’t thinned has burned through, he said.

The crews are targeting heavy fuel sources on the west side of the fire. Although there is much fuel and rough terrain, winds are pushing away from the western flank.

Nine Hotshot crews, 12 engines, five heavy air tankers and a helicopter were fighting the fire on part of the Fort Apache Indian Reservation and in the national forest.

Firefighters nearly have one of three major wildfires in Arizona under control, but mostly because the blaze has already burned through an entire forest, officials said.

The forest supports a huge diversity of plants and animals and is a world-renowned bird-watching area. Its juniper, oak, pine and other plant life have helped fuel the fire, which has destroyed nine homes and 14 other buildings.

Although crews had more than half the blaze contained, they stopped short of saying they had turned the corner.