Tucson Region

Threat to telescopes lessens as Alambre Fire grows

KITT PEAK - The threat to the Kitt Peak Observatory from the Alambre Fire has been greatly reduced but the blaze is far from contained. The fire grew to 6,118 acres Tuesday with more expansion on the southwest and without rain, officials say it could take firefighters until July 22 to achieve 100-percent containment. The blaze hasn't damaged any property or caused any injuries and remains 4.5 miles from the sacred Baboquivari Peak, five miles from the nearest village and two miles from Kitt Peak. Firefighting crews have established a line of protection between the fire and the observatory, one of the world's largest and most diverse gathering of telescopes for nighttime, optical and infrared viewing. Crews completed a 2.4-mile hand-dug fire line that connects to an existing road in the valley below Kitt Peak that creates a 4-mile stretch of cleared land that they say would prevent the fire from spreading north to the peak. The fire's northern perimeter - which is still smoldering but not in flames - is two miles from the peak. The most active section, west of the Quinlan Mountains, is about four miles from the peak. "We're seeing a lot of progress being made and that's good news for everyone up here," said Rich Fedele, a spokesman for the National Optical Astronomy Observatory, an institution that oversees the 26 telescopes at Kitt Peak. "We're still cautious. Fires are very unpredictable and we are at the mercy of Mother Nature," Fedele said. "We're taking it day by day." Kitt Peak is closed to the public through Sunday, he said. The blaze remains the top priority fire in Arizona and New Mexico due to the threat to the Kitt Peak Observatory, said Heidi Schewel, spokeswoman with the Eastern Arizona Incident Management Team. If no rain falls, officials say it could take them until July 22 to gain complete containment of the fire, Schewel said. It is on pace to burn about 16,000 acres. If enough rain falls to sink into the ground, the completion date would likely come sooner, she said. It's not likely to happen anytime soon, according to a meteorologist from the Eastern Arizona Incident Management Team. There is a 10-percent chance for moisture Tuesday night and 20-percent for Wednesday, he says. A storm would help, but only if it dumps substantial rain, Schewel said. "A storm that blows through, drops a little rain and moves out isn't going to help much," Schewel said. From Kitt Peak, the blaze appeared calm east of the Quinlan Mountains with no flames or smoke and red retardant line and white patching of ashes the only visible sign of the fire that ripped through there Sunday. West of the Quinlan Mountains, the fire continued to burn producing small clouds of smoke. Four small, single engine planes and one large air tanker flew above the fire Tuesday spraying fire retardant while three helicopters dumped water. At Kitt Peak, crews continued cutting tree limbs and brush, cautionary measures in case the fire approaches the observatories. "If the fire came here, it would do a lot of damage," said Mark Goklish, a crew boss with a a 20-person firefighting crew from the White Mountain Apache Tribe. Although the Tohono O'odham Nation has said it was likely lighting that caused the fire, officials with the Eastern Arizona Incident Management Team - the agency coordinating the firefighting efforts of 333 people from Arizona and other states - say a definite conclusion has not been reached, Schewel said.