Fire menaces Crown King, 3 homes lost

CROWN KING - A wildfire that forced the evacuation of dozens of residents in a northern Arizona community crept to within 500 feet of some homes Monday but firefighters managed to keep it from moving closer, a spokeswoman said.

The wildfire had charred about 5,300 acres near the community of Crown King as of late Monday.

Three homes and four other structures had been destroyed, though it was unclear when that happened, said Debbie Maneely, a spokeswoman for the Prescott National Forest.

She said a line of retardant dropped by aircraft between the fire and the nearest homes seemed to be holding back the flames. Areas around the homes that had been cleared of vegetation and prescribed burns that had been used in the past to remove potential fuel for a wildfire also were helping, Maneely said.

"It's still a touch-and-go situation in there," Maneely said.

Crews planned to continue building fire line overnight and making preparations for burn out operations, but Maneely said the work was slow going because of the rugged terrain and old mining hazards in the area.

Crown King is a remote mountain community about 20 miles southeast of Prescott and has mostly part-time residents. The mountain area is a popular vacation and weekend destination for residents of the Phoenix area.

Officials said there are about 400 homes scattered around the area.

About 120 residents voluntarily evacuated Sunday. Yavapai County sheriff's officials said the blaze began Saturday night after a lost hiker set a signal fire for search and rescue crews.