Two of three wildfires burning in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest in Greenlee County are almost completely under control. The third blaze, the KP fire near Hannagan Meadow in northern Greenlee, has consumed over 4,000 acres and is only 15 percent contained.

The Pigeon and Rose fires were almost completely contained as of Sunday, May 23. The Pigeon fire is near Clifton.

High winds have hampered efforts in all three firefighting operations. One serious injury has resulted from firefighting efforts. The driver of a truck delivering fuel for firefighting equipment was injured Saturday when the truck rounded a sharp curve, slid over an embankment and rolled over on U.S. Hwy. 191. The wreck occurred about 10 miles south of Hannagan, according to U.S. Forest Service fire information officers.

The man, whose name was not released, was removed from the vehicle, stabilized and transported to University Medical Center in Tucson.

Neither smoke nor lack of visibility were factors in the crash, Fire Information Officer Jonetta Holt said Sunday. The area in which the truck crashed was not smoky at the time.

However, U.S. 191, which runs between Clifton and Alpine, is partially closed due to smoke and safety concerns for firefighters and equipment, which are often on the highway. U.S. 191, also known as the Coronado Trail, was closed from Hannagan Meadow to a point 13 miles south of there over the weekend. Holt said there was a strong probability the road would remain closed Sunday, if not longer.

Motorists are urged to use extreme caution in traveling the Coronado Trail over the next week.

The road, which is narrow and winding, is considered one of the most scenic in Arizona and draws many tourists. It climbs to an elevation of over 9,000 feet at Blue Vista, south of Hannagan.

Fire Information Officer John Schendel, Springerville, said Friday the KP fire may have been started by an abandoned campfire, and officials are investigating.

Holt said Sunday that "burnouts" are being set by Hot Shot firefighting crews in an attempt to control the KP fire. Fire managers called Saturday's burnout a success. Another burnout was scheduled Sunday around Blue Vista, Holt said.

Schendel said the KP fire began burning three miles south of Hannagan Meadow, and efforts are being focused on protecting the lodge and cabins there. Hannagan is about 25 miles south of Alpine in neighboring Apache County.

Schednel also said firefighters were trying to direct the fire toward the Mitchell fire site that burned near Hannagan in 2003. There is very little fuel at the site for the KP fire to consume.

A Type 2 incident command team was brought in to battle the wildfires, Schendel said. He explained a Type 2 incident involves a more complex approach to fighting a fire. That includes single-engine air tankers and helicopters. Airplanes drop a fire retardant while helicopters use dipping buckets with which they drop water on a fire.

As of Sunday, 542 people were working on the KP fire. They included 14 Hot Shot crews, two additional hand crews, 18 engines and four water tenders. Two medium helicopters and one light helicopter were also assigned to the fire, according to the Forest Service.

Contained fires

The Pigeon fire was 95 percent contained and the Rose fire 90 percent contained as of noon Sunday.

The Pigeon fire has been responsible for the air often being smoky in Clifton and Morenci over the past week. It is burning about 15 miles north of Clifton. The smell of smoke is usually most detectable at night. The odor is not strong as compared to previous fires.

There was no imminent threat to either Clifton or Morenci, Forest Service officials said.

The Rose fire is burning 15 miles north of the Pigeon site.

Efforts to contain the Pigeon fire included protecting an Arizona Department of Transportation maintenance facility along U.S. 191.

Schendel said both fires began as prescribed burns but became wildfires after high winds caused them to jump beyond the targeted burn areas. The fires are in the Clifton Ranger District of the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forrest.

"Inconsistent winds, not according to predictions, are causing some difficulty," Clifton District Ranger Frank Hayes said.

The prescribed burns began May 12. Schendel said about 6,000 acres were successfully burned. After jumping containment areas, the Pigeon fire burned around 350 acres and the Rose fire 1,200 acres (as of Friday).

Schendel said although the operations have become wildfires, that is not necessarily bad. He said the fires are continuing to do what the prescribed burns were intended to accomplish.

"Even though they have gone beyond (prescribed burn) boundaries, they are still beneficial," he said.

The prescribed burns were undertaken to reduce fuels in the forest and lessen the risk of catastrophic fire, Hayes said at the onset of the fires.

A USFS spokesman said the burns had been scheduled for years, but earlier fires tapped Forest Service resources, thus delaying the prescribed burns.

In 2003 the USFS had all it could handle with the Thomas and Steeple fires in northern Greenlee. Several other fires broke out, including a large one in the Mule Creek area.

Fire danger high

U.S. Forest Service officials and emergency services agencies throughout Arizona have been bracing for a volatile fire season this summer. Substantial rainfall came to the high country earlier this year, but it was not enough to make up for the dry conditions caused by drought over the last seven years.

Campers and others using the forest are urged to use extreme caution. Last year motorists were advised to stay away from grassy areas as the heat from vehicle tailpipes could cause the dry grass to burn.