The Wallow Fire in Arizona has become the largest wildfire in the state's history, surpassing the 2002 Rodeo-Chediski fire, according to officials with the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest.c 

On Tuesday, June 14, 2011, the amount of land burned by the fire since late May grew to approximately 733 square miles equaling nearly 470,000 acres, while the Rodeo fire covered 732 square miles. The blaze is currently 18-percent contained while having spread to southern New Mexico at Carlsbad Caverns National Park. Hundreds of visitors were evacuated as crews battled the 3,000-acre wildfire inside the park.c

The Wallow Fire has destroyed at least 30 homes—most in the town of Greer, AZ—and prompted evacuations of thousands of people. Smoke-tainted air has been a major contributor to the evacuations. It is unhealthy to breathe air polluted by smoke at 30 parts per million, while portions of Arizona have already reached 500 parts per million.c