Arizona / West

Update: Wildfire that destroyed homes moving away from threatened community

CAREFREE, Ariz. - Firefighters used roads, ridges and other natural barriers Thursday to help them make a stand against a 30,000-acre wildfire that had destroyed at least 10 homes and forced people to evacuate scores of others. Crews set fires at existing barriers and allowed them to burn toward the body of the Cave Creek Complex fire to remove fuel from its path. By Thursday afternoon, the fire was moving northeast away from the threatened community of Tonto Hills, a neighborhood made up of multimillion-dollar homes about 20 miles northeast of Phoenix, officials said. "Tonto Hills looks like it's looking pretty good," said Emily Garber, a spokeswoman for the fire crews. Dave Killebrew, another fire spokesman, said the flames were as close as a half-mile from some homes in Tonto Hills, but fire crews were doing a good job of keeping them away. Meanwhile, helicopters dropped water to drown the fire around Camp Creek, an area with several cabins with many summertime residents. The area appeared to be out of danger, said Killebrew. "Most of the damage was done yesterday," he said. Fire officials didn't immediately confirm how many homes had burned. Killebrew said officials hoped to get someone into the area to survey the damage. Vincent Francia, the mayor of nearby Cave Creek, said 12 homes had been lost - 10 cabins in Camp Creek and two homes in the Tonto Hills area. The fire began as two lightning-sparked blazes Tuesday and spread quickly in hot, dry and breezy weather. The burnouts by firefighters also added to the fire's size. About 175 people were evacuated from 250 homes Wednesday. Two homes in Scottsdale were ordered evacuated Thursday, said Garber. Black smoke could be seen rising from the mountains north of the Tonto Hills area. Around Camp Creek, all that was left of some homes were chimneys or stoves sitting in fields of ash. Flames ran along some trees and ruins continued to smolder. At least five destroyed structures were visible in an area toured by the media. Seven cabins survived, primarily those located along a creek. Evacuee Eric Herrman briefly returned to his $1.5 million home in Tonto Hills on Thursday to retrieve some documents and clothing for his wife. "It's our dream home," Hermann said. "It took us five years to build." Another Tonto Hills resident, Robert Kintz, said he was annoyed by the evacuations because he didn't think there was any danger. He said he returned Thursday to get some fresh clothes and retrieve a computer he needed but wasn't taking any other belongings. "If I had been out there yesterday (Wednesday) instead of playing golf, I wouldn't have left," said Kintz. Two 345-kilovolt lines that deliver power from Glen Canyon Dam to the Phoenix area were de-energized Wednesday for about 90 minutes as the fire burned underneath, said LaVerne Kyriss, spokeswoman for the Western Area Power Administration, which controls the lines. Kyriss said the lines weren't damaged but were turned off to avoid a potentially very dangerous situation. She said the Western Area Power Administration worked with other utilities to reroute power and that there were no noticeable effects for nearby residents. Associated Press Writer Beth DeFalco in Phoenix contributed to this story.