Residents allowed to return home as huge Arizona forest fire is finally fully contained

PHOENIX (AP) -- The last of the 30,000 people forced to evacuate because of Arizona's massive wildfire are returning home -- but not to their normal lives.

"When you get home, there's a tremendous amount of adjustment after something like this. You're still exhausted and you don't realize the mental and emotional strain this takes out of you," said Mel Coleman, whose home in Linden survived the fire.

"You just sort of break down emotionally, just knowing that your home is safe, that everything you worked for is still intact," said Coleman, who was evacuated for 11 days. "There's also a feeling of despair, particularly for friends of mine who lost their homes."

People were evacuated from nine communities in the path of the wildfire, the largest in Arizona history. Firefighters from around the country were being reassigned to other states or sent home as the fire was finally contained Sunday.

About 1,100 firefighters and support staff remained on the fire lines, down from more than 4,400 in late June when the blaze was burning out of control and threatening hundreds of homes, fire spokeswoman Lori Cook said.