Winds pushing smoke from wildfires into Phoenix
Fire crews made some progress on Tuesday as they battled multiple wildfires across Arizona. The Sunflower Fire, burning 30 miles northeast of Phoenix had grown to almost 5,000 acres. Meanwhile the community of Crown King remained under an evacuation order. From Phoenix, Al Macias reports.
AL MACIAS: Winds pushed the smoke from the fires all the way to Phoenix. High winds were making tough conditions even tougher for firefighters. Crews managed to get 5 percent containment of the blaze Sunflower fire by Tuesday evening. They’re battling triple-digit temperatures, single digit humidity and rough terrain. The Forest Service website predicts the Sunflower Fire will be a long-term operation due to steep and rugged topography. One hundred miles away, crews have had little luck building lines around the Gladiator Fire which is threatening Crown King. Crews have been trying to build fire line around the perimeter but have been hampered by winds gusting up to 35 miles an hour. Crews had managed to build fires lines around almost half of The Bull Flat burning in the Tonto National Forest by Tuesday afternoon.
