KJZZ is a service of Rio Salado College,
and Maricopa Community Colleges

Copyright © 2024 KJZZ/Rio Salado College/MCCCD
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Cedar Fire 24 Percent Contained At 45,000 Acres

Firefighters continue to fight the Cedar Fire in eastern Arizona, near the communities of Show Low and Pinetop Lakeside.

As of Thursday morning, the fire has burned more than 45,000 acres and is 24 percent contained.

Katy Gray is a fire information official. She says crews have faced several challenges along the way. "It's still hot, it’s still dry, we have wind conditions that change every day," she says. "So today the winds are going to be changing to more of a westerly wind...the fuels are very dry out there."

Gray says there are more than 900 hundred people working the fire, which includes 26 crews and 51 engines. Pre-evacuation orders for the surrounding communities remain in effect.

KJZZ senior field correspondent Kathy Ritchie has 20 years of experience reporting and writing stories for national and local media outlets — nearly a decade of it has been spent in public media.