(June 24, 2011 - by Harold Goerzen) Fanned by 60 mph winds, last weekend's raging wildfire near Sierra Vista, Ariz., caused some anxious moments for residents before firefighters finally started getting a handle on the blaze late this week.

"I've never known fear quite like the day [late] last week when we were between two fires and the sky was a ball of orange," wrote Susie Lind on her Facebook page on Wednesday. "It's lots calmer now, for which we thank God."

She and her husband, Dwight, were evacuated from their home south of Sierra Vista on Sunday, June 19. Dwight coordinates the Western Region of the World Radio Network (WRN), one of HCJB Global's cooperating ministries. After spending the night in an apartment adjoining the office building of WRN station KWRB "The Spark," the Linds were allowed to return home. Their house was undamaged.

"Sunday night it was like a bomb went off in the mountains," recounted Arron Daniels, who heads the community outreach of WRN's Western Regional office. The fire was advancing at a speed of 126 feet per minute, fueled by brown bushes and mesquite trees and "lots of dry weeds and grass," he said. "It hasn't rained for over 200 days!"

The conflagration, called the Monument Fire due to its start a week earlier in the Coronado National Memorial near the Mexican border, destroyed about 100 structures. Hundreds of people were evacuated from their homes, some of them staying at an evacuation center across the street from The Spark.

"The fire is currently 59-percent contained after two to three days of the winds being low," Daniels reported on Thursday. "There are now 1,300 firefighters, and little more than 30,000 acres have burned. The fire isn't headed toward Sierra Vista anymore. It's being kept in the mountains. The firefighters will keep doing controlled burns to contain it, depending on the weather."

It appears the worst could be over by early next week. Full containment is predicted for mid-July when annual monsoon rains are expected to begin. Then the threat might be severe flooding since so much groundcover has been burned off.

Amid the crisis, staff members and volunteers from The Spark have been working in partnership with the American Red Cross, Salvation Army, Cochise County Sheriff's Department and the Forest Service to bring physical help and spiritual encouragement to evacuees and firefighters who have been working in shifts nonstop for nearly two weeks.

"As of today (Friday, June 24) we have delivered 22,000 bottles of water and Gatorade to the firefighters on the scene," Daniels explained. Volunteers have also delivered 10,000 energy bars, 2,000 bottles of sunscreen, 3,000 pairs of socks, lip balm, bandanas, hard candy and trail mix, baby wipes, eye drops, pain medicine and other items.

"Just the other night, the firefighters were having trouble getting supplies and water because their delivery trucks were delayed," he said. "But just 10 minutes later we pulled up with our trailer full of donated water bottles and Gatorade which they need to replace lost electrolytes. It was enough to get through the night and the next morning until their delivery truck came in."

The help has opened numerous doors to share the message of salvation with the firefighters. "They know who we are now, and several have come up and asked for prayer," Daniels related. "Some just want to talk or they need a hug. It's a bit awkward giving a hug to a big burly guy covered in soot! They just kind of decompress and share their stories with us."

When one of the firefighters asked for a Bible, Daniels raided (with donors' approval) the station's supply of Bibles purchased through a program called Swords for Soldiers. "We took in two tubs of Bibles-about 130 altogether-and they went faster than the socks! I thought that was amazing."

Both Daniels and his wife, Laia, have been working 15-hour days since the crisis started, helping distribute supplies, encouraging evacuees, answering emails and updating social network sites.

"We don't get a lot of rest," he said. "My wife and I are exhausted. We've been pressing really hard, but we need to do what we can and be a voice in the community. The number of emails is off the chart with people thanking us. The number of Facebook and Twitter friends has doubled in the last week, and our mailing list has doubled."

Listeners continue to bring crates of water and food as well as meals for staff members at The Spark. "To have a successful radio station, you have to have the community," Daniels continued. "People ask us why we do it, and we tell them, 'We're loving people to Jesus.'

"Last night a firefighter came up to us and said, 'Thank you for what you do, but who are you with?' We told him, 'The Spark.' He admitted he'd never listened to the station, but he would now. It opened the door to share the gospel. He saw our works and was open to what we had to say."

Casey Merritt, afternoon host for The Spark, added, "With every visit the firefighters are amazed and thankful at the outpouring of love and support from their local community."

For more information, visit www.sparkfm.com.

Sources: HCJB Global, World Radio Network, azcapitoltimes.co
Photo credit: Arron Daniels