Arizona fire threat eases, but passions soar

Firefighter Harley Hill surveys the aftermath of a burnout on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation near Cibecue, Arizona.

SHOW LOW, Arizona (CNN) -- With firefighters gaining control Tuesday over the giant Arizona wildfire, local officials sought to ease tensions sparked by the arrest of an Apache man accused of helping start the blaze.

Show Low Mayor Gene Kelley said he had heard reports of some verbal exchanges between Apaches and other residents of the White Mountain area. Kelley and Apache tribal chairman Dallas Massey urged calm.

"We went through a lot the past few weeks," Massey said, "and I believe we can work together, start the healing process as the fires and the smoke start to disappear."

CNN NewsPass Video    •  California wildfire breaks fire line  MORE STORIES   •  Wildfire spreads in California; holiday campers safe   •  Experts disagree on forest management   •  Bush unveils 'Healthy Forests' plan  EXTRA INFORMATION   •  Wildfires through history   •  Interactive: The science of a wildfire   •  TIME.com Photo Essay: Colorado wildfires  RESOURCES   •  Related site: National Interagency Fire Center

Leonard Gregg, 29, a contract firefighter who was arrested Saturday, is accused of starting the Rodeo fire June 18 so he could be hired to help put it out. (Full story)

The Chediski fire began two days later, and the blazes eventually combined, torching 467,584 acres in the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest and Fort Apache Indian Reservation. By Tuesday, the Rodeo-Chediski fire was 70 percent contained.

Massey noted that the accused man shouldn't be singled out.

"They forgot there were two fires," Massey said. "So I just want to remind the public not just one man did it."

Federal prosecutors said the cause of the Chediski fire is under investigation, but law enforcement officials have said that a stranded hiker started the fire to signal a helicopter flying overhead.

At its height, the Rodeo-Chediski blaze forced 30,000 people to flee their homes. Many residents have returned -- some to find their homes destroyed. But firefighters managed to save thousands of residences.

Residents on the western flank of the fire in Heber, Overgaard and surrounding communities may be allowed home soon.