The massive Wallow Fire, which has continued to burn throughout much of eastern Arizona for over two weeks now, set a record on Tuesday as the largest fire in state history.

Started from what authorities believe to be an unattended campfire on May 29th, the fire has burned over 469,000 acres and caused nearly 10,000 people to evacuate their homes, according to Reuters.

The roaring flames were within a mile of a neighboring New Mexico mountain burg in Luna – less than 10 miles east of the Arizona border – putting an estimated 200 residents on alert for possible evacuation. more >>

New Mexico is battling two major fires on opposite ends of the state – in the southwest, Arizona’s gigantic Wallow Fire, and in the northeast, a Colorado-border wildfire. The embattled state is also fighting a third fire in the southeast that closed down Carlsbad Caverns National Park.

The Wallow Fire, close to becoming the largest wildfire in Arizona’s history, has caused local New Mexico officials to warn Luna residents that they might be ordered to evacuate at any time.

The two-week-old blaze has burned somewhere between 452,000 to 463,000 acres as of Monday night. It could surpass Arizona’s largest fire, the 2002 Rodeo-Chediski Fire, which scorched 468,000 acres, as soon as Tuesday, according to The Arizona Republic. more >>

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Arizona’s Wallow Fire is massive and has been growing by tens of thousands of acres a day. But it is not expected to surpass the state’s largest wildfire, the 2002 Rodeo-Chediski fire, said a fire chief.

As of Sunday night, the Wallow Fire was 10 percent contained, up from 0 percent last Thursday. It has burned nearly 450,000 acres, or 703-square miles. By comparison, the Rodeo-Chediski wildfire, which was actually two fires that merged into one, burned 467,000 acres, or 732 square miles. more >>

Arizona’s Wallow Fire is massive and has been growing by tens of thousands of acres a day. But it is not expected to surpass the state’s largest wildfire, the 2002 Rodeo-Chediski fire, said a fire chief.

As of Sunday night, the Wallow Fire was 10 percent contained, up from 0 percent last Thursday. It has burned nearly 450,000 acres, or 703-square miles. By comparison, the Rodeo-Chediski wildfire, which was actually two fires that merged into one, burned 467,000 acres, or 732 square miles.

“Everything is holding,” said Jerome Macdonald, fire operations chief, to The Associated Press. “Compared to what we’ve been dealing with just two days ago … we’re feeling a lot more confident. We turned a corner.” more >>

Officials in New Mexico have warned residents that there is a risk of potentially hazardous air quality in the region as smoke continues to billow out of the Wallow fire that has hit eastern Arizona over the past weeks.

The fire, which now has spread across 672-square miles, officially crossed the state line late on Friday evening.

Residents from the border all the way through to Albuquerque and Santa Fe have been warned that they face serious respiratory hazards from the thick smoke engulfing the nearby areas. more >>

The semi-good news is that the Wallow Fire in eastern Arizona is officially six percent contained (the number is likely higher) as of Friday night. But the bad news is that the massive wildfire is “very, very close” to spreading to another state: New Mexico.

Jim Whittington, an officer with the Southwest Incident Command Center, reported Friday night that firefighters have been able to contain the Wallow Fire – the second largest wildfire in the state’s history – to just 6 percent. Earlier on Friday, Whittington reported that the fire was 5 percent contained, meaning officially there was only one percent progress.

The over 3,100 firefighters are under intense time pressure to contain the fire on Friday before stronger winds of up to 30 mph pick up around noon Saturday. more >>