CLINTSWELL, Ariz.- The Tinder Fire is now at 600 acres and less than 5 percent contained, almost a dozen communities to the north have been put under pre-evacuation notice.
A top-tier fire management team is taking over command of operations against a wildfire that continues to grow and is threatening approximately 500 homes in a forested area of north-central Arizona.
Coconino National Forest officials say the team was scheduled Saturday evening to assume command over the fire which has burned 500 acres about 9 miles east of Clints Well and near C.C. Cragin Reservoir on the Mogollon Rim.
The Tinder Fire is just about 3 miles south of several communities. Some of the people have lived in these homes for decades and now their facing very the real possibility that they might have to leave their homes behind. Carolyn and Doug Lend of Starlight Pines, for example, have their lives in suitcases.
"You pack up what you can. You know you’re still going to leave things behind that you would like to take but you can’t take everything," Carolyn said as she packed her grandparents' marriage license.
Fire officials held a meeting Saturday night at the Starlight Pines to update residents on the fire. Officials called the fire dangerous and explained that it is burning inaccessible terrain in windy and dry conditions.
Cause of the fire remains under investigation but is believed to be human-caused.
Approximately 200 firefighters and other personnel are assigned to the fire, which has resulted in closures of several forest roads and issuance of a pre-evacuation notice for several rural communities.
For now residents in the surrounding areas are hopping for the best, but preparing for the worst.
Associated Press contributed to this report.