Early morning fire rips through Phoenix duplexes

An early morning fire ripped through a pair of duplexes in Phoenix Tuesday.

It happened at about 5 a.m. at 32nd Avenue and Melvin.

Flames tore through one duplex and badly damaged the other.

Some 30 firefighters were called out to the scene and went defensive once they learned nobody was inside either of the structures. Both were vacant.

Neighbors said the landlord might have been doing some electrical work in one of the duplexes, but at this point, firefighters don't know for sure how the fire started.

No injuries were reported and an investigation is under way.

Wildfire near Springerville is now fully contained

Firefighters in eastern Arizona have contained a wildfire that charred 5,000 acres of mainly grassland after breaking out Tuesday.

Arizona State Forestry Division spokeswoman Judy Wood says the 55 fire was declared 100 percent contained at midmorning Wednesday.

Wood said the fire "laid down pretty good overnight" due to higher humidity and less wind.

The blaze started around 2 p.m. Tuesday on the north side of U.S. 60 on the northwestern outskirts of Springerville. Wood said it was human-caused but the cause remained under investigation.

Some 50 firefighters fought the blaze. Wood said no structures or power lines were damaged.

Huge mulch fire burning in Laveen closes high school

Betty H. Fairfax High School in Laveen canceled classes Monday due to unhealthy air quality from a huge mulch fire that continues to burn in the area.

Firefighters say they could be battling that fire for the next few days.

It started Sunday afternoon at R and D Recycling near 63rd Avenue and Baseline Road southwest of Phoenix. So far, 10 acres have burned.

Mulch fires are tricky because the flames get under the mulch and continue to burn inside the piles. Crews are using front-loaders to try to get to the center of the fire.

Huge plumes of smoke were visible for miles and the smell of the burning mulch, which is made up of wood chips, sawdust, hay and manure, permeated the area.

Because there are no fire hydrants in the area, getting water to the fire has been a challenge. Crews have had to pump water from canals nearly 1,000 feet away.

Investigators are not sure exactly how the fire started, but neighbors said this is not the first fire at this location.

"I walked outside and I go, 'Oh, it's on fire again,'" said Jennifer Foerst, who has lived in the area for six years. "It's happened more than once -- at least three times. ... They just don't wet it enough, and so when the winds blows, this is what happens."

While the fire is stubborn and causing firefighters concern, no buildings are threatened and no injuries have been reported.

Classes at Betty H. Fairfax High School, which is part of the Phoenix Union High School District, were expected to resume as scheduled Tuesday.