Miller Fire forces more residents to evacuate

James Huntington, who lives out in the Gila Cliff Dwellings area, said when he saw smoke from the Miller Fire begin to fill the valley in which he lives, he knew it was time to go. By then, Grant County sheriff's deputies had started going door to door in the communities of Gila Hot Springs, Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument and Visitor Center, advising them to leave as the Miller Fire continued to burn in their direction. The Grant County Business and Conference Center in Silver City has been opened as an emergency shelter where Huntington had taken refuge Monday afternoon. As of Monday afternoon, the Miller Fire, which was first reported on April 28, had burned 32,960 acres, according to the Gila Wilderness Ranger District. A red flag warning was put in effect at 11 a.m. Monday and was expected to continue to 10 p.m. The warning calls for gusty winds, low humidity and high temperatures. It is considered "human caused" by the ranger district...more