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Aspen fire (AZ) tops 6,300 acres

by Jon Robinson |

The Guardian Unlimited reports that the fire on and around Mount Lemmon has grown to over 6,300 with no quick end in sight.

It is expected to be weeks before the estimated 1,000 or so firefighters that are now converging on the blaze will have a chance to get a handle on it.

Larry Humphrey, in charge at the scene said "By the time this thing ignited, it was pretty much a foregone conclusion this thing was going to go where it wanted to go." Humphrey further cautioned that we could see tens of thousans of acres go up before it's contained, estimating that it's going to be "a long, hard-fought contest."

Driven by high winds of up to 60 mph, the fire, now at the top of the nations fire priority list, burned a good portion of Summerhaven and has crested the top of Mount Lemmon and was burning down the north side.

cnn.com reports that the fire now threatens the resort town of Oracle. However the terrain there will give firefighters a fighting chance.


In other wildfire news, Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports: A wildfire north of Livengood shot high flames across the trans-Alaska oil pipeline and the Dalton Highway, but fire and pipeline officials said Friday the blaze does not pose a danger to the line.