Humidity Surge Reduces Fire Hazard in Arizona's Ventana Canyon Area.

By Thomas Stauffer, The Arizona Daily Star, Tucson Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News

Jul. 8--A dramatic surge in humidity alleviated concerns on the southern edge of the 82,000-acre Aspen Fire and allowed evacuees to return to their digs in Ventana Canyon Monday evening.

After humidity climbed to 32 percent in the desert scrub above Loews Ventana Canyon Resort early Monday morning, fire officials opted for an air assault on the fire's southern edge instead of the massive back burn they had planned Sunday night.

"There are a lot of different things going on, and it's all coming together and looking real good," said Pruett Small, operations section chief for the fire in the Catalina Mountains, north of Tucson. "Anything that's active is well, well away from homes."

Containment of the fire's perimeter jumped to 70 percent, with 893 firefighters now working the blaze at a cost of $12.2 million, Small said. Firefighters still need to scratch more than 30 miles of fire line and burn fuel away from it along the southern and western perimeter of the fire, he said.

Dan Oltrogge, incident commander of the Aspen Fire, repeatedly assured about 150 Foothills residents at a Monday night meeting at Catalina Foothills High School that their homes no longer were in jeopardy.

"The fire environment is a dynamic environment. We're feeling comfortable now that we can get folks back in their homes," he said.

Three hotshot crews will hike into Romero Canyon to begin scratching fire lines and burning out fuel today, while three other hotshot crews will be flown by helicopter into Ventana Canyon to do the same, Small said.

The most active part of the Aspen Fire lies near Window Rock on the fire's west end, about three miles from where the elite hotshot crews will be working, he said.

"If we can get that side where it's the most steep and where the heavier fuel is, we think we're going to be well on our way to wrapping this up," Small said. "We're going to be here for a bunch of days, but if we can get that tough area taken care of, that will make us feel a whole lot better."

By 4 p.m. Monday, the threat to homes between the Sabino Canyon visitors center and Ventana Canyon had all but vanished.

The surge in humidity had fire officials s...uinting Monday morning to find evidence of the blaze that had threatened Foothills residents Sunday, said Kent Romney, a fire information officer.

"The fire didn't just lay down but actually went out in ...uite a few places," he said. "We went from a panicky (Sunday) afternoon with the threat of thunderstorm winds to a much more confident attitude and a different strategy today."

Loren Jensen Carter, who lives near Kolb Road and Sunrise Drive, said at Monday's meeting that it was ironic when she returned from the Summerhaven parade on Friday and found her whole yard was gray. On Sunday, she booked a storage locker and got together her photo albums and heirlooms.

Jensen Carter said she has not heard any answers that make her comfortable about the pillars of smoke behind her home. She's still prepared to evacuate.

"I'm a docent at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, and I'm aware of the impact on our environment," she said. "I'm devastated and heartbroken. Nobody knows what the runoff is going to do to these areas. I have a lot of sadness."

Guests of the resort and 25 homeowners who heeded the voluntary evacuation were allowed to return at 6 p.m. Monday, said Deputy Steve Easton of the Pima County Sheriff's Department.

"Fire crews in that area told us that fire danger and their need to remain in the area had been alleviated," Easton said.

Loews Ventana Canyon Resort will reopen its golf courses, spa, restaurants and hotel at 7 this morning.

Kimberly Sundt, director of public relations for the resort, said 260 people from 130 rooms were evacuated, and all spent Sunday and Monday nights at the Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa.

Gov. Janet Napolitano, in Tucson to get an update and tour the fire scene Monday, promised to encourage the state Department of Insurance to overcome any bureaucratic delays to the cleanup of Mount Lemmon fire damage.

Pima County risk manager Dave Parker told Napolitano the coming monsoon raises two threats, erosion and the runoff of the layer of ash covering the mountains, and that "every building footprint has the potential for hazardous runoff."

Emergency Services Director Dennis Douglas also provided an updated toll of buildings lost to the fire: 340 homes and businesses in Summerhaven, 11 cabins in Soldier Camp, six cabins in Willow Canyon and three cabins and an outbuilding at the Girl Scout Camp.

Napolitano declined to predict when the White House will declare the fire a federal disaster but said she was confident the Bush administration will indeed do so.

"It's not a matter of if, but when," she said.

Firefighting efforts are costing about $750,000 a day, Oltrogge told Napolitano. Operating just one Type I helicopter -- an Erickson S-64 Aircrane -- costs $7,200 an hour, he said.

Air operations are typically the most expensive part of fighting a fire, exceeding even personnel costs, said Dick Fleishman, fire information officer.

Insect collector Peter Hubbell, who lives on the West Side, attended the meeting because he doesn't think the Aspen Fire should have happened in the first place.

A lot of his potential specimens were burned in the fire, he said. The Coronado National Forest should not have been open because it was so dry, he said.

"The forests all through Southern Arizona should be closed until it rains. It's the prudent thing to do," Hubbell said.

The forecast for today calls for higher temperatures and milder northwest winds of 5 to 10 mph, with occasional gusts to 20 mph, said meteorologist Tom Evans of the National Weather Service in Tucson.

Stephanie Innes, Joe Burchell and C.J. Karamargin contributed to this story.

To see more of The Arizona Daily Star, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.azstarnet.com

(c) 2003, The Arizona Daily Star. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

Humidity Surge Reduces Fire Hazard in Arizona's Ventana Canyon Area.

By Thomas Stauffer, The Arizona Daily Star, Tucson Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News

Jul. 8--A dramatic surge in humidity alleviated concerns on the southern edge of the 82,000-acre Aspen Fire and allowed evacuees to return to their digs in Ventana Canyon Monday evening.

After humidity climbed to 32 percent in the desert scrub above Loews Ventana Canyon Resort early Monday morning, fire officials opted for an air assault on the fire's southern edge instead of the massive back burn they had planned Sunday night.

"There are a lot of different things going on, and it's all coming together and looking real good," said Pruett Small, operations section chief for the fire in the Catalina Mountains, north of Tucson. "Anything that's active is well, well away from homes."

Containment of the fire's perimeter jumped to 70 percent, with 893 firefighters now working the blaze at a cost of $12.2 million, Small said. Firefighters still need to scratch more than 30 miles of fire line and burn fuel away from it along the southern and western perimeter of the fire, he said.

Dan Oltrogge, incident commander of the Aspen Fire, repeatedly assured about 150 Foothills residents at a Monday night meeting at Catalina Foothills High School that their homes no longer were in jeopardy.

"The fire environment is a dynamic environment. We're feeling comfortable now that we can get folks back in their homes," he said.

Three hotshot crews will hike into Romero Canyon to begin scratching fire lines and burning out fuel today, while three other hotshot crews will be flown by helicopter into Ventana Canyon to do the same, Small said.

The most active part of the Aspen Fire lies near Window Rock on the fire's west end, about three miles from where the elite hotshot crews will be working, he said.

"If we can get that side where it's the most steep and where the heavier fuel is, we think we're going to be well on our way to wrapping this up," Small said. "We're going to be here for a bunch of days, but if we can get that tough area taken care of, that will make us feel a whole lot better."

By 4 p.m. Monday, the threat to homes between the Sabino Canyon visitors center and Ventana Canyon had all but vanished.

The surge in humidity had fire officials s...uinting Monday morning to find evidence of the blaze that had threatened Foothills residents Sunday, said Kent Romney, a fire information officer.

"The fire didn't just lay down but actually went out in ...uite a few places," he said. "We went from a panicky (Sunday) afternoon with the threat of thunderstorm winds to a much more confident attitude and a different strategy today."

Loren Jensen Carter, who lives near Kolb Road and Sunrise Drive, said at Monday's meeting that it was ironic when she returned from the Summerhaven parade on Friday and found her whole yard was gray. On Sunday, she booked a storage locker and got together her photo albums and heirlooms.

Jensen Carter said she has not heard any answers that make her comfortable about the pillars of smoke behind her home. She's still prepared to evacuate.

"I'm a docent at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, and I'm aware of the impact on our environment," she said. "I'm devastated and heartbroken. Nobody knows what the runoff is going to do to these areas. I have a lot of sadness."

Guests of the resort and 25 homeowners who heeded the voluntary evacuation were allowed to return at 6 p.m. Monday, said Deputy Steve Easton of the Pima County Sheriff's Department.

"Fire crews in that area told us that fire danger and their need to remain in the area had been alleviated," Easton said.

Loews Ventana Canyon Resort will reopen its golf courses, spa, restaurants and hotel at 7 this morning.

Kimberly Sundt, director of public relations for the resort, said 260 people from 130 rooms were evacuated, and all spent Sunday and Monday nights at the Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa.

Gov. Janet Napolitano, in Tucson to get an update and tour the fire scene Monday, promised to encourage the state Department of Insurance to overcome any bureaucratic delays to the cleanup of Mount Lemmon fire damage.

Pima County risk manager Dave Parker told Napolitano the coming monsoon raises two threats, erosion and the runoff of the layer of ash covering the mountains, and that "every building footprint has the potential for hazardous runoff."

Emergency Services Director Dennis Douglas also provided an updated toll of buildings lost to the fire: 340 homes and businesses in Summerhaven, 11 cabins in Soldier Camp, six cabins in Willow Canyon and three cabins and an outbuilding at the Girl Scout Camp.

Napolitano declined to predict when the White House will declare the fire a federal disaster but said she was confident the Bush administration will indeed do so.

"It's not a matter of if, but when," she said.

Firefighting efforts are costing about $750,000 a day, Oltrogge told Napolitano. Operating just one Type I helicopter -- an Erickson S-64 Aircrane -- costs $7,200 an hour, he said.

Air operations are typically the most expensive part of fighting a fire, exceeding even personnel costs, said Dick Fleishman, fire information officer.

Insect collector Peter Hubbell, who lives on the West Side, attended the meeting because he doesn't think the Aspen Fire should have happened in the first place.

A lot of his potential specimens were burned in the fire, he said. The Coronado National Forest should not have been open because it was so dry, he said.

"The forests all through Southern Arizona should be closed until it rains. It's the prudent thing to do," Hubbell said.

The forecast for today calls for higher temperatures and milder northwest winds of 5 to 10 mph, with occasional gusts to 20 mph, said meteorologist Tom Evans of the National Weather Service in Tucson.

Stephanie Innes, Joe Burchell and C.J. Karamargin contributed to this story.

To see more of The Arizona Daily Star, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.azstarnet.com

(c) 2003, The Arizona Daily Star. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

Humidity Surge Reduces Fire Hazard in Arizona's Ventana Canyon Area.

By Thomas Stauffer, The Arizona Daily Star, Tucson Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News

Jul. 8--A dramatic surge in humidity alleviated concerns on the southern edge of the 82,000-acre Aspen Fire and allowed evacuees to return to their digs in Ventana Canyon Monday evening.

After humidity climbed to 32 percent in the desert scrub above Loews Ventana Canyon Resort early Monday morning, fire officials opted for an air assault on the fire's southern edge instead of the massive back burn they had planned Sunday night.

"There are a lot of different things going on, and it's all coming together and looking real good," said Pruett Small, operations section chief for the fire in the Catalina Mountains, north of Tucson. "Anything that's active is well, well away from homes."

Containment of the fire's perimeter jumped to 70 percent, with 893 firefighters now working the blaze at a cost of $12.2 million, Small said. Firefighters still need to scratch more than 30 miles of fire line and burn fuel away from it along the southern and western perimeter of the fire, he said.

Dan Oltrogge, incident commander of the Aspen Fire, repeatedly assured about 150 Foothills residents at a Monday night meeting at Catalina Foothills High School that their homes no longer were in jeopardy.

"The fire environment is a dynamic environment. We're feeling comfortable now that we can get folks back in their homes," he said.

Three hotshot crews will hike into Romero Canyon to begin scratching fire lines and burning out fuel today, while three other hotshot crews will be flown by helicopter into Ventana Canyon to do the same, Small said.

The most active part of the Aspen Fire lies near Window Rock on the fire's west end, about three miles from where the elite hotshot crews will be working, he said.

"If we can get that side where it's the most steep and where the heavier fuel is, we think we're going to be well on our way to wrapping this up," Small said. "We're going to be here for a bunch of days, but if we can get that tough area taken care of, that will make us feel a whole lot better."

By 4 p.m. Monday, the threat to homes between the Sabino Canyon visitors center and Ventana Canyon had all but vanished.

The surge in humidity had fire officials s...uinting Monday morning to find evidence of the blaze that had threatened Foothills residents Sunday, said Kent Romney, a fire information officer.

"The fire didn't just lay down but actually went out in ...uite a few places," he said. "We went from a panicky (Sunday) afternoon with the threat of thunderstorm winds to a much more confident attitude and a different strategy today."

Loren Jensen Carter, who lives near Kolb Road and Sunrise Drive, said at Monday's meeting that it was ironic when she returned from the Summerhaven parade on Friday and found her whole yard was gray. On Sunday, she booked a storage locker and got together her photo albums and heirlooms.

Jensen Carter said she has not heard any answers that make her comfortable about the pillars of smoke behind her home. She's still prepared to evacuate.

"I'm a docent at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, and I'm aware of the impact on our environment," she said. "I'm devastated and heartbroken. Nobody knows what the runoff is going to do to these areas. I have a lot of sadness."

Guests of the resort and 25 homeowners who heeded the voluntary evacuation were allowed to return at 6 p.m. Monday, said Deputy Steve Easton of the Pima County Sheriff's Department.

"Fire crews in that area told us that fire danger and their need to remain in the area had been alleviated," Easton said.

Loews Ventana Canyon Resort will reopen its golf courses, spa, restaurants and hotel at 7 this morning.

Kimberly Sundt, director of public relations for the resort, said 260 people from 130 rooms were evacuated, and all spent Sunday and Monday nights at the Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa.

Gov. Janet Napolitano, in Tucson to get an update and tour the fire scene Monday, promised to encourage the state Department of Insurance to overcome any bureaucratic delays to the cleanup of Mount Lemmon fire damage.

Pima County risk manager Dave Parker told Napolitano the coming monsoon raises two threats, erosion and the runoff of the layer of ash covering the mountains, and that "every building footprint has the potential for hazardous runoff."

Emergency Services Director Dennis Douglas also provided an updated toll of buildings lost to the fire: 340 homes and businesses in Summerhaven, 11 cabins in Soldier Camp, six cabins in Willow Canyon and three cabins and an outbuilding at the Girl Scout Camp.

Napolitano declined to predict when the White House will declare the fire a federal disaster but said she was confident the Bush administration will indeed do so.

"It's not a matter of if, but when," she said.

Firefighting efforts are costing about $750,000 a day, Oltrogge told Napolitano. Operating just one Type I helicopter -- an Erickson S-64 Aircrane -- costs $7,200 an hour, he said.

Air operations are typically the most expensive part of fighting a fire, exceeding even personnel costs, said Dick Fleishman, fire information officer.

Insect collector Peter Hubbell, who lives on the West Side, attended the meeting because he doesn't think the Aspen Fire should have happened in the first place.

A lot of his potential specimens were burned in the fire, he said. The Coronado National Forest should not have been open because it was so dry, he said.

"The forests all through Southern Arizona should be closed until it rains. It's the prudent thing to do," Hubbell said.

The forecast for today calls for higher temperatures and milder northwest winds of 5 to 10 mph, with occasional gusts to 20 mph, said meteorologist Tom Evans of the National Weather Service in Tucson.

Stephanie Innes, Joe Burchell and C.J. Karamargin contributed to this story.

To see more of The Arizona Daily Star, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.azstarnet.com

(c) 2003, The Arizona Daily Star. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

Humidity Surge Reduces Fire Hazard in Arizona's Ventana Canyon Area.

By Thomas Stauffer, The Arizona Daily Star, Tucson Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News

Jul. 8--A dramatic surge in humidity alleviated concerns on the southern edge of the 82,000-acre Aspen Fire and allowed evacuees to return to their digs in Ventana Canyon Monday evening.

After humidity climbed to 32 percent in the desert scrub above Loews Ventana Canyon Resort early Monday morning, fire officials opted for an air assault on the fire's southern edge instead of the massive back burn they had planned Sunday night.

"There are a lot of different things going on, and it's all coming together and looking real good," said Pruett Small, operations section chief for the fire in the Catalina Mountains, north of Tucson. "Anything that's active is well, well away from homes."

Containment of the fire's perimeter jumped to 70 percent, with 893 firefighters now working the blaze at a cost of $12.2 million, Small said. Firefighters still need to scratch more than 30 miles of fire line and burn fuel away from it along the southern and western perimeter of the fire, he said.

Dan Oltrogge, incident commander of the Aspen Fire, repeatedly assured about 150 Foothills residents at a Monday night meeting at Catalina Foothills High School that their homes no longer were in jeopardy.

"The fire environment is a dynamic environment. We're feeling comfortable now that we can get folks back in their homes," he said.

Three hotshot crews will hike into Romero Canyon to begin scratching fire lines and burning out fuel today, while three other hotshot crews will be flown by helicopter into Ventana Canyon to do the same, Small said.

The most active part of the Aspen Fire lies near Window Rock on the fire's west end, about three miles from where the elite hotshot crews will be working, he said.

"If we can get that side where it's the most steep and where the heavier fuel is, we think we're going to be well on our way to wrapping this up," Small said. "We're going to be here for a bunch of days, but if we can get that tough area taken care of, that will make us feel a whole lot better."

By 4 p.m. Monday, the threat to homes between the Sabino Canyon visitors center and Ventana Canyon had all but vanished.

The surge in humidity had fire officials s...uinting Monday morning to find evidence of the blaze that had threatened Foothills residents Sunday, said Kent Romney, a fire information officer.

"The fire didn't just lay down but actually went out in ...uite a few places," he said. "We went from a panicky (Sunday) afternoon with the threat of thunderstorm winds to a much more confident attitude and a different strategy today."

Loren Jensen Carter, who lives near Kolb Road and Sunrise Drive, said at Monday's meeting that it was ironic when she returned from the Summerhaven parade on Friday and found her whole yard was gray. On Sunday, she booked a storage locker and got together her photo albums and heirlooms.

Jensen Carter said she has not heard any answers that make her comfortable about the pillars of smoke behind her home. She's still prepared to evacuate.

"I'm a docent at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, and I'm aware of the impact on our environment," she said. "I'm devastated and heartbroken. Nobody knows what the runoff is going to do to these areas. I have a lot of sadness."

Guests of the resort and 25 homeowners who heeded the voluntary evacuation were allowed to return at 6 p.m. Monday, said Deputy Steve Easton of the Pima County Sheriff's Department.

"Fire crews in that area told us that fire danger and their need to remain in the area had been alleviated," Easton said.

Loews Ventana Canyon Resort will reopen its golf courses, spa, restaurants and hotel at 7 this morning.

Kimberly Sundt, director of public relations for the resort, said 260 people from 130 rooms were evacuated, and all spent Sunday and Monday nights at the Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa.

Gov. Janet Napolitano, in Tucson to get an update and tour the fire scene Monday, promised to encourage the state Department of Insurance to overcome any bureaucratic delays to the cleanup of Mount Lemmon fire damage.

Pima County risk manager Dave Parker told Napolitano the coming monsoon raises two threats, erosion and the runoff of the layer of ash covering the mountains, and that "every building footprint has the potential for hazardous runoff."

Emergency Services Director Dennis Douglas also provided an updated toll of buildings lost to the fire: 340 homes and businesses in Summerhaven, 11 cabins in Soldier Camp, six cabins in Willow Canyon and three cabins and an outbuilding at the Girl Scout Camp.

Napolitano declined to predict when the White House will declare the fire a federal disaster but said she was confident the Bush administration will indeed do so.

"It's not a matter of if, but when," she said.

Firefighting efforts are costing about $750,000 a day, Oltrogge told Napolitano. Operating just one Type I helicopter -- an Erickson S-64 Aircrane -- costs $7,200 an hour, he said.

Air operations are typically the most expensive part of fighting a fire, exceeding even personnel costs, said Dick Fleishman, fire information officer.

Insect collector Peter Hubbell, who lives on the West Side, attended the meeting because he doesn't think the Aspen Fire should have happened in the first place.

A lot of his potential specimens were burned in the fire, he said. The Coronado National Forest should not have been open because it was so dry, he said.

"The forests all through Southern Arizona should be closed until it rains. It's the prudent thing to do," Hubbell said.

The forecast for today calls for higher temperatures and milder northwest winds of 5 to 10 mph, with occasional gusts to 20 mph, said meteorologist Tom Evans of the National Weather Service in Tucson.

Stephanie Innes, Joe Burchell and C.J. Karamargin contributed to this story.

To see more of The Arizona Daily Star, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.azstarnet.com

(c) 2003, The Arizona Daily Star. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

Humidity Surge Reduces Fire Hazard in Arizona's Ventana Canyon Area.

By Thomas Stauffer, The Arizona Daily Star, Tucson Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News

Jul. 8--A dramatic surge in humidity alleviated concerns on the southern edge of the 82,000-acre Aspen Fire and allowed evacuees to return to their digs in Ventana Canyon Monday evening.

After humidity climbed to 32 percent in the desert scrub above Loews Ventana Canyon Resort early Monday morning, fire officials opted for an air assault on the fire's southern edge instead of the massive back burn they had planned Sunday night.

"There are a lot of different things going on, and it's all coming together and looking real good," said Pruett Small, operations section chief for the fire in the Catalina Mountains, north of Tucson. "Anything that's active is well, well away from homes."

Containment of the fire's perimeter jumped to 70 percent, with 893 firefighters now working the blaze at a cost of $12.2 million, Small said. Firefighters still need to scratch more than 30 miles of fire line and burn fuel away from it along the southern and western perimeter of the fire, he said.

Dan Oltrogge, incident commander of the Aspen Fire, repeatedly assured about 150 Foothills residents at a Monday night meeting at Catalina Foothills High School that their homes no longer were in jeopardy.

"The fire environment is a dynamic environment. We're feeling comfortable now that we can get folks back in their homes," he said.

Three hotshot crews will hike into Romero Canyon to begin scratching fire lines and burning out fuel today, while three other hotshot crews will be flown by helicopter into Ventana Canyon to do the same, Small said.

The most active part of the Aspen Fire lies near Window Rock on the fire's west end, about three miles from where the elite hotshot crews will be working, he said.

"If we can get that side where it's the most steep and where the heavier fuel is, we think we're going to be well on our way to wrapping this up," Small said. "We're going to be here for a bunch of days, but if we can get that tough area taken care of, that will make us feel a whole lot better."

By 4 p.m. Monday, the threat to homes between the Sabino Canyon visitors center and Ventana Canyon had all but vanished.

The surge in humidity had fire officials s...uinting Monday morning to find evidence of the blaze that had threatened Foothills residents Sunday, said Kent Romney, a fire information officer.

"The fire didn't just lay down but actually went out in ...uite a few places," he said. "We went from a panicky (Sunday) afternoon with the threat of thunderstorm winds to a much more confident attitude and a different strategy today."

Loren Jensen Carter, who lives near Kolb Road and Sunrise Drive, said at Monday's meeting that it was ironic when she returned from the Summerhaven parade on Friday and found her whole yard was gray. On Sunday, she booked a storage locker and got together her photo albums and heirlooms.

Jensen Carter said she has not heard any answers that make her comfortable about the pillars of smoke behind her home. She's still prepared to evacuate.

"I'm a docent at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, and I'm aware of the impact on our environment," she said. "I'm devastated and heartbroken. Nobody knows what the runoff is going to do to these areas. I have a lot of sadness."

Guests of the resort and 25 homeowners who heeded the voluntary evacuation were allowed to return at 6 p.m. Monday, said Deputy Steve Easton of the Pima County Sheriff's Department.

"Fire crews in that area told us that fire danger and their need to remain in the area had been alleviated," Easton said.

Loews Ventana Canyon Resort will reopen its golf courses, spa, restaurants and hotel at 7 this morning.

Kimberly Sundt, director of public relations for the resort, said 260 people from 130 rooms were evacuated, and all spent Sunday and Monday nights at the Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa.

Gov. Janet Napolitano, in Tucson to get an update and tour the fire scene Monday, promised to encourage the state Department of Insurance to overcome any bureaucratic delays to the cleanup of Mount Lemmon fire damage.

Pima County risk manager Dave Parker told Napolitano the coming monsoon raises two threats, erosion and the runoff of the layer of ash covering the mountains, and that "every building footprint has the potential for hazardous runoff."

Emergency Services Director Dennis Douglas also provided an updated toll of buildings lost to the fire: 340 homes and businesses in Summerhaven, 11 cabins in Soldier Camp, six cabins in Willow Canyon and three cabins and an outbuilding at the Girl Scout Camp.

Napolitano declined to predict when the White House will declare the fire a federal disaster but said she was confident the Bush administration will indeed do so.

"It's not a matter of if, but when," she said.

Firefighting efforts are costing about $750,000 a day, Oltrogge told Napolitano. Operating just one Type I helicopter -- an Erickson S-64 Aircrane -- costs $7,200 an hour, he said.

Air operations are typically the most expensive part of fighting a fire, exceeding even personnel costs, said Dick Fleishman, fire information officer.

Insect collector Peter Hubbell, who lives on the West Side, attended the meeting because he doesn't think the Aspen Fire should have happened in the first place.

A lot of his potential specimens were burned in the fire, he said. The Coronado National Forest should not have been open because it was so dry, he said.

"The forests all through Southern Arizona should be closed until it rains. It's the prudent thing to do," Hubbell said.

The forecast for today calls for higher temperatures and milder northwest winds of 5 to 10 mph, with occasional gusts to 20 mph, said meteorologist Tom Evans of the National Weather Service in Tucson.

Stephanie Innes, Joe Burchell and C.J. Karamargin contributed to this story.

To see more of The Arizona Daily Star, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.azstarnet.com

(c) 2003, The Arizona Daily Star. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

Humidity Surge Reduces Fire Hazard in Arizona's Ventana Canyon Area.

By Thomas Stauffer, The Arizona Daily Star, Tucson Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News

Jul. 8--A dramatic surge in humidity alleviated concerns on the southern edge of the 82,000-acre Aspen Fire and allowed evacuees to return to their digs in Ventana Canyon Monday evening.

After humidity climbed to 32 percent in the desert scrub above Loews Ventana Canyon Resort early Monday morning, fire officials opted for an air assault on the fire's southern edge instead of the massive back burn they had planned Sunday night.

"There are a lot of different things going on, and it's all coming together and looking real good," said Pruett Small, operations section chief for the fire in the Catalina Mountains, north of Tucson. "Anything that's active is well, well away from homes."

Containment of the fire's perimeter jumped to 70 percent, with 893 firefighters now working the blaze at a cost of $12.2 million, Small said. Firefighters still need to scratch more than 30 miles of fire line and burn fuel away from it along the southern and western perimeter of the fire, he said.

Dan Oltrogge, incident commander of the Aspen Fire, repeatedly assured about 150 Foothills residents at a Monday night meeting at Catalina Foothills High School that their homes no longer were in jeopardy.

"The fire environment is a dynamic environment. We're feeling comfortable now that we can get folks back in their homes," he said.

Three hotshot crews will hike into Romero Canyon to begin scratching fire lines and burning out fuel today, while three other hotshot crews will be flown by helicopter into Ventana Canyon to do the same, Small said.

The most active part of the Aspen Fire lies near Window Rock on the fire's west end, about three miles from where the elite hotshot crews will be working, he said.

"If we can get that side where it's the most steep and where the heavier fuel is, we think we're going to be well on our way to wrapping this up," Small said. "We're going to be here for a bunch of days, but if we can get that tough area taken care of, that will make us feel a whole lot better."

By 4 p.m. Monday, the threat to homes between the Sabino Canyon visitors center and Ventana Canyon had all but vanished.

The surge in humidity had fire officials s...uinting Monday morning to find evidence of the blaze that had threatened Foothills residents Sunday, said Kent Romney, a fire information officer.

"The fire didn't just lay down but actually went out in ...uite a few places," he said. "We went from a panicky (Sunday) afternoon with the threat of thunderstorm winds to a much more confident attitude and a different strategy today."

Loren Jensen Carter, who lives near Kolb Road and Sunrise Drive, said at Monday's meeting that it was ironic when she returned from the Summerhaven parade on Friday and found her whole yard was gray. On Sunday, she booked a storage locker and got together her photo albums and heirlooms.

Jensen Carter said she has not heard any answers that make her comfortable about the pillars of smoke behind her home. She's still prepared to evacuate.

"I'm a docent at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, and I'm aware of the impact on our environment," she said. "I'm devastated and heartbroken. Nobody knows what the runoff is going to do to these areas. I have a lot of sadness."

Guests of the resort and 25 homeowners who heeded the voluntary evacuation were allowed to return at 6 p.m. Monday, said Deputy Steve Easton of the Pima County Sheriff's Department.

"Fire crews in that area told us that fire danger and their need to remain in the area had been alleviated," Easton said.

Loews Ventana Canyon Resort will reopen its golf courses, spa, restaurants and hotel at 7 this morning.

Kimberly Sundt, director of public relations for the resort, said 260 people from 130 rooms were evacuated, and all spent Sunday and Monday nights at the Westin La Paloma Resort & Spa.

Gov. Janet Napolitano, in Tucson to get an update and tour the fire scene Monday, promised to encourage the state Department of Insurance to overcome any bureaucratic delays to the cleanup of Mount Lemmon fire damage.

Pima County risk manager Dave Parker told Napolitano the coming monsoon raises two threats, erosion and the runoff of the layer of ash covering the mountains, and that "every building footprint has the potential for hazardous runoff."

Emergency Services Director Dennis Douglas also provided an updated toll of buildings lost to the fire: 340 homes and businesses in Summerhaven, 11 cabins in Soldier Camp, six cabins in Willow Canyon and three cabins and an outbuilding at the Girl Scout Camp.

Napolitano declined to predict when the White House will declare the fire a federal disaster but said she was confident the Bush administration will indeed do so.

"It's not a matter of if, but when," she said.

Firefighting efforts are costing about $750,000 a day, Oltrogge told Napolitano. Operating just one Type I helicopter -- an Erickson S-64 Aircrane -- costs $7,200 an hour, he said.

Air operations are typically the most expensive part of fighting a fire, exceeding even personnel costs, said Dick Fleishman, fire information officer.

Insect collector Peter Hubbell, who lives on the West Side, attended the meeting because he doesn't think the Aspen Fire should have happened in the first place.

A lot of his potential specimens were burned in the fire, he said. The Coronado National Forest should not have been open because it was so dry, he said.

"The forests all through Southern Arizona should be closed until it rains. It's the prudent thing to do," Hubbell said.

The forecast for today calls for higher temperatures and milder northwest winds of 5 to 10 mph, with occasional gusts to 20 mph, said meteorologist Tom Evans of the National Weather Service in Tucson.

Stephanie Innes, Joe Burchell and C.J. Karamargin contributed to this story.

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(c) 2003, The Arizona Daily Star. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.