SHOW LOW, Ariz. - Firefighters battling one of the fiercest wildfires to scorch the U.S. West worked to shore up a key fire line protecting this small Arizona town yesterday, rolling out bulldozers and clearing away underbrush in a desperate effort to keep the flames at bay.
President George W. Bush, who declared fire-ravaged areas of eastern Arizona a national disaster area Tuesday, flew in to inspect the damage caused by the monster blaze, which now covers some 375,000 acres (152,000 hectares). "I know this is a tough moment," Bush told displaced families at a shelter in Eagar, Ariz., about 65 miles (105 km) southeast of the fire line.
An estimated 30,000 people have been forced to evacuate their homes from communities in the fire zone, which lies in pine-studded mountain country about 150 miles (240 km) northeast of Phoenix.
In Show Low, the resort town menaced by the raging 520-square-mile (1,295-sq-km) wildfire, firefighters said they were using bulldozers to clear away trees and controlled burns of underbrush in an effort to hold the blaze west of U.S. Highway 60 along the town's southern edge.
"If the fire moves across U.S. 60 there will be a wall of fire moving toward Show Low," said Chadeen Palmer, a fire spokeswoman.
Officials said they were cautiously optimistic their defenses would hold against the fire, now crackling within a half mile (0.8 km) of the town center.
"We are not saying it is imminent. We are not saying we are losing hope," Palmer said, noting that the weather was helping with calmer, cooler conditions.
"HANG IN THERE"
Bush viewed firsthand the fire's monstrous path Tuesday, making a stop on his way to a Canadian summit to thank firefighters and promise federal aid to families who have lost their homes to the inferno.
"Hang in there," he told a group of about 300 evacuees and rescue workers in a high school cafeteria in Eagar.
Bush also took an aerial tour of the wildfire, flying over scorched hillsides along the fire's 180-miles (288-km) perimeter and viewing huge plumes of smoke that mingled with the clouds.
Bush's visit, and the promise of federal help for fire-struck families, came after an announcement by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) that it would make $20 million immediately available to the state to help defray costs of the firefighting operation.
Arizona Gov. Jane Hull said the FEMA aid would be just "a drop in the bucket," reflecting fears among many local officials that western states could face a string of major fire disasters this year after a prolonged drought left forests and brushland dry as kindling.
Already, 20 large fires are burning in nine states with more than 2.5 million acres (1 million hectares) of land burned to date - more than double the annual 10-year average, according to the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho.
As Bush toured the Arizona devastation, another fire in southwest Colorado, near Durango, grew to 66,310 acres (26,855 hectares) Tuesday and has destroyed 45 homes.
The Hayman fire, which has scorched some 137,000 acres (54,800 hectares) 50 miles (80 km) southwest of Denver, is now 70 percent contained, although officials are still not predicting when the 18-day-old blaze, that has destroyed 133 houses, will be fully contained.
ARIZONA IS THE TOP PRIORITY
Show Low - named for the winning hand in a card game between two 19th century homesteaders - remained largely deserted Tuesday, three days after the town's 8,000 residents were told to pack their belongings and get out.
Ash drifted down on fire trucks and rescue vehicles, while the town took on the air of a military camp with police, firefighters and emergency workers helping to organize the massive rescue effort.
That fire - now the largest wildfire in the nation - gained strength when two blazes merged Sunday and now covers an area bigger than the city of Los Angeles.
The blaze has burned more than 329 houses and 16 businesses in the eastern Arizona high country, and firefighters were concerned that - even if the main fire lines hold - the town of Show Low could still be threatened if flying embers ignite "spot fires" in or around buildings.
"The sparks are going to be the most important factor today," Palmer, the fire spokeswoman, said.:
