Hundreds flee, 40 homes torched in smaller Ariz. fire

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updated 5 minutes ago

LUNA, N.M. — More areas near a southern Arizona city were evacuated on Wednesday after a fire there torched 40 homes overnight and moved towards heavier populated neighborhoods. The blaze heading towards Sierra Vista was much smaller than Arizona's massive Wallow fire but has already surpassed it in terms of property destroyed.

It was not clear how many residents were evacuating Wednesday, but around 1,000 fled Tuesday as the Monument fire raced through a canyon, destroying or heavily damaging 40 homes as it moved towards the city of 40,000.

"I have never seen the entire mountain on fire before," evacuee Jan Guy was quoted by the Sierra Vista Herald as saying.Share Print Font:

LUNA, N.M. — More areas near a southern Arizona city were evacuated on Wednesday after a fire there torched 40 homes overnight and moved towards heavier populated neighborhoods. The blaze heading towards Sierra Vista was much smaller than Arizona's massive Wallow fire but has already surpassed it in terms of property destroyed.

It was not clear how many residents were evacuating Wednesday, but around 1,000 fled Tuesday as the Monument fire raced through a canyon, destroying or heavily damaging 40 homes as it moved towards the city of 40,000.

"I have never seen the entire mountain on fire before," evacuee Jan Guy was quoted by the Sierra Vista Herald as saying.

The fire, which started Sunday, is one of dozens testing fire crews from Arizona to Florida. Nearly 400 firefighters are at the Monument fire alone.

Nationwide, 11 new large wildfires were reported over the last day, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. The states with the most large wildfires are Texas (13), Florida, (11), Arizona (4) and New Mexico (4).

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