Crews Try to Contain Fort Apache Fire

Crews expected to contain a wildfire that destroyed 17 homes and forced 300 people to evacuate their homes on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation. About 800 air and ground crews formed a containment line around the fire that quickly spread to more than 4,000 acres, said U.S. Forest Service spokesman Joe Spehar. “Most of the crews are doing mop up,” Spehar said. The wind-driven fire, north of Whiteriver and about 130 miles northeast of Phoenix, is believed to be caused by humans and an investigation is pending, Spehar said. The fire had burned nearly seven square miles of ponderosa pine trees and heavy brush, consuming a total of almost 4,500 acres before it stabilized. At one point, the flames stretched 400 feet into the air, Spehar said.