Tucson Region

Update: Firefighters race clock to battle Mt. Graham blaze

SAFFORD - Firefighters are hoping to surround the 300-acre Nuttall Fire on Mount Graham before thunderstorms arrive this afternoon with gusty winds. From Safford High School, where fire managers have set up a command post, only a trace of smoke was visible this morning in the Pinaleno Mountains, about 75 miles northeast of Tucson. Firefighters were preparing to drive up the closed Arizona 366, also known as the Swift Trail, and stage at Riggs Lake, where the campground was evacuated Sunday. Crews are planning to camp overnight at the Columbine Work Center and they were told at a 6 a.m. briefing to be careful with their food supplies since the area has a large bear population. The fire is burning in a remote, rugged section of the Pinalenos, just north of Clark Peak and between 7,500 and 8,000 feet elevation. The difficult access is forcing crews to take helicopters to the fire lines. Officials say the fire has seated itself in a position that will make it tough for the wind and topography to conspire to push the flames upslope. In brushy areas, the fire is expected to travel up to one-half mile per hour and in heavy timber, crews were told to expect torching of trees and some airborne embers to start spot fires. But the chances of extreme fire behavior will be minimal thanks to partly cloud skies and relative humidities in the teens to low 20s. Today's forecast calls for a chance of thunderstorms with dry lightning toward evening. Temperatures at the top of the Pinalenos are expected to be in the mid 70s, with some potentially gusty winds this afternoon. Helicopters and air tankers will fly this morning, dropping water and retardant on the blaze. Thunderstorms forced the aircraft to be grounded Sunday afternoon, and officials said the same thing may happen today. There are 10 fire crews, each with about 20 firefighters, assigned to the blaze, including seven elite “hotshots.” The fire isn't currently threatening any structures and it remains about six miles to the west/northwest of the University of Arizona's telescope complex atop Mount Graham. But fire crews may spend part of the day setting up sprinklers around buildings in case the flames approach. There are about 100 cabins in the Pinalenos. Mbr/>