The two wildfires that have been raging for a month near Payson and Pine were largely under control Monday morning, according to the U.S. National Forest Service.
The West Fire, which has burned more than 13,000 acres since Aug. 28, was 44% contained as of Monday morning, the Forest Service said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
Firefighters have nearly completed controlled burns around the southwest corner of the fire. They have contained the fire by deliberately setting controlled fires around the perimeter to destroy potential fuel in advance, and directing the fire toward natural barriers.
Firefighters battling the West Fire used both ground fires and air ignitions, where a mixture of gasoline or gel-like fuel is thrown from the air to ignite fires.
The Forest Service also announced that the Preacher Fire, which burned more than 3,000 acres in a month, was fully contained. Officials said crews were still patrolling the area to check for smoke.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona firefighters gain control of West and Preacher fires
