Residents face tough choices as Arizona wildfire rages

Eagar, Arizona (CNN) -- A huge wildfire in eastern Arizona grew Wednesday, prompting the Apache County Sheriff's office to order the full evacuations of two towns, home to about 8,000 people.

Residents of Eagar and Springerville received the order late Wednesday afternoon, officials said. Other communities were warned they could be next.

"We had a lot of spot fires today," said Jim Whittington, public information officer for the Southwest National Incident Management Team.

Hot and dry conditions, with winds out of the southwest, continued to make firefighting efforts difficult, Whittington told CNN.

While firefighters battled the fast-moving blaze, residents in its path faced serious choices: whether to stay -- and what to take with them if they leave.