TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) - Crews in Arizona worked Saturday to protect several small communities from two large wildfires by clearing away brush near homes and planning to set fires aimed at robbing the blazes of forest fuels.

The Wallow Fire near the White Mountain community of Alpine grew to 218 square miles, or more than 140,000 acres, by Saturday morning.

The fire is the third largest in state history, with smoke from it visible in parts of southern Colorado. Fire officials said they had zero containment of the fire near the New Mexico-Arizona state line, which has forced an unknown number of people to evacuate.

Crews were working to protect homes in Alpine and nearby Nutrioso from the fire and blowing embers that could start smaller, spot fires. The fire had reached Alpine's outskirts and was more than two miles away from homes in Nutrioso, said Bob Dyson, a spokesman for the team fighting the blaze.

Authorities warned residents of the town of Greer on Friday night to be ready to leave, but no evacuation order has been issued. Greer has fewer than 200 permanent residents but the town and area attract many vacationers.

The U.S. Forest Service said that four summer rental cabins burned earlier in the fire.

The fire ranks just behind the state's two largest wildfires in terms of size. The largest was the 469,000-acre Rodeo-Chediski in 2002, followed by the 248,000-acre Cave Creek complex fire in 2005.

Meanwhile, crews were trying to protect a church camp and two communities from the Horseshoe Two fire that had burned 140 square miles in far southern Arizona. It's the fifth-largest fire in state history.

The 90,000-acre blaze had come within a mile of the evacuated Methodist church camp in the steep Pine Canyon near the community of Paradise on Friday night.

"It will be a major concern until the fire passes there," said Dave Killebrew, a spokesman for the teaming fighting the fire.

Crews also are focusing on protecting the evacuated communities of Paradise and East Whitetail Canyon. Paradise fared well on Friday as crews set fires that burned natural forest fuels and kept the blaze from about a dozen occupied homes and many other vacation residences.

The fire was within two miles of the eight to 10 homes in East Whitetail Canyon. The blaze is 50 percent contained.

The nearby Chiricahua National Monument was closed as a precaution.

The Horseshoe Two fire has been burning for days and about 800 firefighters were battling it.