First containment reported for Arizona wildfire
KACHINA VILLAGE, Ariz. - Firefighters are making progress in keeping a wildfire burning in a scenic Arizona canyon south of Flagstaff in check, even as the flames spread.
Fire managers say the Slide Fire has burned more than 11 1/2 square miles in and around Oak Creek Canyon. That estimate released Thursday night is up from 7 1/2 square miles earlier in the day.
Fire managers say the human-caused fire is now 5 percent contained.
The fire still was 3 to 3 1/2 miles away from the residential areas of Forest Highlands and Katina Village, where 3,200 residents remain under pre-evacuation warnings.
A firefighting helicopter drops water on a forest fire in Oak Creak Canyon in Sedona, Ariz., on Thursday May 22, 2014. The human-caused Slide Fire started Tuesday and has burned more than 11 1/2 square miles in and around Oak Creek Canyon, a scenic recreation area along a highway between Sedona and Flagstaff that normally would be teeming with tourists as the Memorial Day weekend approaches.
Associated Press