Arizona wildfire near Flagstaff now at 10K acres

When Jon Stoner opens the blinds to a front window in his home "it's a piece of heaven," he says. Acres of ponderosa pine trees stretch into the distance, staggering up a mountain and bringing a sense of calmness to the area northeast of Flagstaff.

With an 10,000-acre (4,047-hectare) wildfire burning nearby, Stoner is unsure how much of that scenery will remain in tact. As he evacuated his home Sunday, he looked out that same window and saw flames shooting up above the trees.

"That's scary," he said from a shelter where a community briefing was held a day later. "It moves fast."

The combination of high temperatures, low humidity and strong winds have challenged firefighters on the ground and in the air. Sustained winds of up to 20 mph (32 kph) with gusts of more than 30 mph (48 kph) grounded heavy air tankers Monday.

Fire crews battling the so-called Schultz fire were focused Monday on protecting homes in the fire's path by digging trenches, clearing out dry brush and spraying them down. The flames reached the back yards of some homes while coming within a few hundred feet (meters) of others, said incident commander Dugger Hughes. No structures have burned.

"The homes are looking very secure right now," he said.

Residents of several hundred homes remained under evacuation orders.

The fire is believed to have been started by an abandoned campfire, and authorities were looking for anyone who might have more information. The fire is burning in rough terrain, consuming ponderosa pine, mixed conifer and dry brush.

Hughes said crews would fly over the area early Tuesday morning to get a better idea of the perimeter and of spot fires.

Flagstaff, a mountain town of about 60,000, is a popular place for tourists and home to Northern Arizona University. A ski resort and snowfall lure visitors during the winter. Moderate summer temperatures provide an escape from more intense desert heat during the summer.

Areas just north of Flagstaff that are under evacuation orders are a mix of upscale, manufactured, ranch-style and second homes that sit at the foot of the mountains and beyond.