Fire-fueling grass threatens saguaros, homes — scientists

摘要

Early on June 10, scientist Ben Wilder watched dozens of saguaros near Pima Canyon explode into flames as hestood in the Catalina Foothills. He had seen flames from the Bighorn Fire shooting down a mountain slope and upthe sides of saguaro bodies."It was one of the most horrible things I've ever seen," Wilder, director of Tumamoc Hill's Desert Laboratory, toldthe Arizona Daily Star.It will be awhile before an actual saguaro death toll from this blaze is known (see related story). But Wilder onJune 12 estimated the fire took out as many as 2,000 saguaros, from both the front range of the Catalinas and thePusch Ridge area near Oro Valley.