Tucson Region

Update: Clouds bolster Nuttall firefighters' confidence

Actual clouds joined the dense smoke hanging over the Gila Valley Friday morning, dampening the air slightly and boosting firefighters' confidence that they can hold the 24,928-acre Nuttall complex behind lines they have carved to protect summer cabins and an observatory complex. "We're feeling really good" about the fire lines that circle the Mount Graham Interational Observatory, said fire information officer Diane Williams. And the line drawn along Swift Trail between the approaching Gibson portion of the fire and the summer cabins in Willow Creek is also holding, she said. Williams warned that the situation could change this afternoon if winds start gusting. The inter-agency team fighting the fire also announced its first significant boost in containment of the fire. It now deems 25 percent of the fire's perimeter contained. A total of 891 personnel were fighting the fire as of Friday morning. Cost of containing the twin blazes is currently estimated at $5.8 million.