Western Wildfires

An airplane dumps fire retardant onto the eastern edge of the Blue Springs wildfire, June 26, 2005, near Toquerville, Utah.

Utah

The Blue Springs wildfire burns south of Interstate 15, near Toquerville, Utah, June 26, 2005.

Utah

Traffic returns to normal on Interstate 15 after fire officials reopened the road, which was closed due to the Blue Springs wildfire, in the Dixie National Forest near Pintura, Utah, June 26, 2005.

Utah

Fire crews respond as a wildfire grows near Pintura, Utah, June 25, 2005.

Utah

Incident commander Taiga Rohrer, right, briefs Idaho Heat Seekers Casey Armstrong, Jeff Smart and Dustin Johnson, from left, June 26, 2005, near Pintura, Utah. The Heat Seekers unit, from Boise, Idaho, was helping fight the Blue Springs wildfire.

Alaska

Circles of fire begin to grow together to form a burnout, June 25, 2005, near Fort Yukon, Alaska. The circles were made with ping pong balls filled with a flammable fluid and fired out of a laucher. The blaze was set to reduce fuel and keep the Sheenjek fire from jumping a river.

Smoke and flames from a burnout are seen east of the Sheenjek River, June 25, 2005, near Fort Yukon, Alaska. Firefighting aircraft later cooled the area after the burnout had done its job.

Alaska

Helicopter manager Bruce Swaim rides a bike around a helibase at the Sheenjek River as fire crews battle the Sheenjek fire, June 25, 2005, near Fort Yukon, Alaska.

Alaska

Fire operations personnel use a pallet of Meals Ready to Eat (MREs) as a meeting table, on the west end of the Sheenjek fire, in Fort Yukon, Alaska, June 25, 2005.

California

A firefighter battles a 52,000-acre wildfire in the Mojave National Preserve, June 24, 2005, near Kelso, Calif.

Nevada

Smoke from nearby wildfires hangs southwest of the Las Vegas strip, June 25, 2005.

Arizona

A home in the Tonto Hills section of Carefree, Ariz., displays a homemade thank you sign for firefighters, June 24, 2005. The homes in the Tonto Hills area were all saved from the 46,000-acre Cave Creek Complex fire.

Arizona

Firefighters Chris Durkin and Brian Faith, top, relax with their colleagues from the Estes Park, Colo., Alpine Hot Shots, June 24, 2005, near Carefree, Ariz. The Hot Shots were taking a break from battling the Cave Creek Complex fire.

Arizona

Firefighters from Zigzag, Ore., take a break from fighting the Cave Creek Complex fire, June 24, 2005, near Carefree, Ariz.

Arizona

Firefighter Samual Holmes, right, loads gear into a fire truck parked at the Crown King, Ariz., fire station, June 24, 2005. Firefighters in the small mountain community were on standby in case the Humbug Fire, located south of the town, grew and changed directions.

Arizona

A sky crane lifts off after taking on water to battle the Cave Creek Complex fire, June 24, 2005, in Carefree, Ariz.

Arizona

A smoke plume from the Cave Creek Complex fire rises above the community of Carefree, Ariz., June 24, 2005.