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As of Saturday, the Pinnacle Fire and Telegraph Fire continued to grow while the Slate fire had stopped spreading altogether.

Telegraph Fire drops to 67% containment

The Telegraph Fire, which decreased containment from 72% to 67%, burned 179,678 acres as of Saturday, according to information posted by the U.S. Forest Service.

The department wasn’t immediately available to comment on the reason for the decrease in containment.

Fire crews were keeping an eye on the fire as it backed down the Mescal Mountain on the southwest end of the fire, the service reported.

Crews focused control efforts to protect power lines and structures along State Route 77, the service explained.

SR 77 from U.S. 70 to El Capitan was restricted to El Capitan residents only.

There were concerns of high winds on Sunday that could affect the fire, according to the service.

Emergency closures were issued by the Bureau of Land Management Gila District, including lands west to Sandman Road, south to the Gila River, and along SR 177 Winkelman, east to the San Carlos Apache Reservation, and north to the junction of U.S. 60 and SR 188.

Pinnacle Fire remained 15% contained

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The Pinnacle Fire grew to 27,807 acres by Saturday evening and remained 15% contained, according to information from the U.S. Forest Service.

There were a total of 428 personnel assigned to the fire.

Crews on the southwest end of the fire reinforced their containment and looked over the fire as it cooled from recent suppression efforts, the service explained.

Watch Pinnacle Fire videos

Fire managers worked on a plan to control the fire’s western movement, and planned to focus on this end of the fire for the next few days, the service said.

On the east end, things remained calm with little to no smoke.

Crews laid sprinkler pumps and water blivets to protect structures at Black Rock in case the fire came back that way, the service explained.

Evacuation orders were in place for all Black Rock Road area residents, and all residents in the Klondyke-Aravaipa corridor in Graham County, according to the service.

Thunderstorms expected to pass the area in the next few days could create enough gusts and erratic winds to spread the fire in multiple directions, according to the information provided by the service.

Slate fire downgraded

The Slate Fire was 73% contained by Saturday after burning 11,435 acres since it began on June 7, according to U.S. Forest Service Deputy of Public Affairs Randi Shaffer.

The fire was downgraded to a type 4 with 50 personnel left assigned to the fire, Shaffer said. A type 4 fire is the second least complex type of fire and requires less complex planning.

The fire had not grown for a few days, as crews continued to hold the lines and kept an eye on any progress, Shaffer added.

Reach breaking news reporter Miguel Torres at [email protected] or on Twitter @MTorresTweet.

Watch Telegraph Fire videos

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