Tagged: Crown King

The Gladiator Fire grew only a small amount Wednesday despite weather conditions that had previously made the fire grow rapidly.  

The fire's damage now stands at 15,600 acres.  The fire made no significant gains on Wednesday. 

Containment levels have also stayed the same at 26%.

Large flames continue to burn on the interior of the fire, but fire lines and hot shot crews are containing the spread of the fire.

High winds and low humidity continue to keep a red flag warning in effect in the area.

The Gladiator fire, outside of Crown King, AZ, continues to spread at a rapid pace. 

It has now topped 8,000 acres and is still only 5% contained.

High winds have added to dry conditions, allowing the fire to spread at a rapid pace the last few days.

According to the National Weather Service, winds in the area will die down after Friday, staying calm through the weekend.

Current efforts are concentrated on creating fire lines and thinning tree canopies around Tower Mountain and Crown King.

The Gladiator fire continues to grow at a high rate, now standing at over 6,500 acres, and still 5% contained. 

The Gladiator fire has more than tripled since Wednesday morning.

Southerly winds continue to blow the fire north, away from Crown King.

There are more issues than weather though.

Michael King, with the Southwest Type 1 Incident Management Team said, "There’s extreme fire behavior because of the rate of spread, the dryness of the fuels, [and] the rugged, steep canyons.”

The Gladiator fire has been ablaze for over three days, and has burned over 2,000 acres. 

The good news is progress is being made.  It is now 5% contained.

Winds continue to blow from the southeast through the Bradshaw Mountains, pushing the fire to the north and northwest. 

This is slowing the spread towards Crown King, but expediting the spread towards the communication towers on Tower Mountain.

The National Weather Service is forecasting winds that will continue to gust over 25 miles per hour until at least Saturday.