CONDITIONS SO RIGHT, SHE CALLED IT A PERFECT STORM, SO RIGHT
FOR FIRE, WITH THE WINDS AND
THE DRY FUEL, AND THE AREA THAT
THIS FIRE STARTED IN, IT WAS
ENTIRELY CONCEIVABLE THAT HOMES
COULD BE AFFECTED, AND SURE
ENOUGH IT DID NOT TAKE LONG
WITH THE 30 MILES PER HOUR PLUS
WIND GUSTS, FOR THE FIRES TO
START MOVING DANGEROUSLY CLOSE
TO THE HOMES, AND THAT'S WHY IT
PRECIPITATED THE EVACUATION BY
APACHE JUNCTION POLICE.
TO GET THOSE PEOPLE OUT OF
HARMS WAY, HOPEFULLY NO ONE
WILL BE DEALING WITH A LOST
HOME TONIGHT, BUT BETTER SAFE
THAN SORRY, SO GET THE PEOPLE
OUT OF THEIR YOU CAN ALWAYS
REBUILD, WE ARE NOT TALKING
ABOUT ANY LOSS OF LIFE.
OR ANY INJURIES FROM THIS FIRE,
WHICH IS JUST SPRUNG UP THIS
AFTERNOON.
AFTERNOON. I WILL TELL YOU THAT BECAUSE
IT'S GOTTEN SO HOT THIS YEAR,
THIS IS A STORY THAT WE WILL BE
DEALING WITH, NO DOUBT
THROUGHOUT THE SUMMER, WE
ALWAYS HAVE BRUSHFIRES, WE HAVE
WILDFIRES BUT SOME YEARS ARE
WORSE THAN OTHERS, AND IT'S
ALREADY BEEN FORECAST THAT THIS
COULD BE ONE OF THOSE YEARS.
TIFFANY FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF
FORESTRY AND FIRE BACK ON THE
PHONE WITH US, ANY SORT OF AN
UPDATE ABOUT ACREAGE ON THIS
FIRE?
FIRE?
FIRE? >>
FIRE? >> WE ARE STILL ESTIMATING IT
TO BE 40 TO 60 ACRES, WE HAVE
EXTRA AIRCRAFT THAT WE HAD THAT
WAY TO HELP ASSIST WITH THIS
FIRE, WE ALSO HAD A NEW FIRE
START ABOUT HALF A MILE INTO
THE VICINITY OF THE LOST
DUTCHMAN FIRE, SO WE WERE ABLE
TO REROUTE ONE OF OUR SINGLE
ENGINE AIR TANKERS TO THIS
FIRE, TO HELP WITH THE PRESENT
EFFORTS THEY ARE.
AT THIS TIME, I BELIEVE THAT
FIRE WAS ABOUT FIVE ACRES.
BUT THE FIRE IS STILL
CONTINUING TO BURN, IT IS WINDY
IN THAT AREA OF COURSE THE
VEGETATION IS VERY DRY,
FIREFIGHTERS SEEM TO BE GETTING
A HANDLE ON THAT FIRE, BUT
AGAIN, WITH THE WINDY
CONDITIONS IT'S MAKING IT
CRAZY.
CRAZY.
CRAZY. >>
CRAZY. >> WE WERE SAYING EARLIER,
AFTER YOU LEFT A WHILE AGO, I
DON'T KNOW IF YOU HEARD THIS,
BUT LINDSAY RILEY OUR CHIEF
METEOROLOGIST WAS TALKING ABOUT
THE FACT THAT WITH THESE 30
MILES PER HOUR, 30 TO 40 MILES
PER HOUR GUST, YOU CAN HAVE
SITUATIONS THAT MAYBE YOU CAN
GIVE SOME INSIGHT ON THIS,
SITUATIONS WHERE YOU HAD
BURNING EMBERS THAT BLOW FROM
ONE PLACE TO ANOTHER AND A NEW
FIRE POPS UP, DO YOU THINK
THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED HERE?
>> THAT'S WHAT WE ARE THINKING
RIGHT NOW, WE WON'T KNOW UNTIL
WE GET A FIRE INVESTIGATOR OUT
THERE BUT THAT CAN HAPPEN, YOU
CAN HAVE EMBERS FROM ONE FIRE,
THEY WILL GO HALF A MILE AND
THEN A SPOT FIRE, SO, IT MIGHT
HAVE HAPPENED ON THIS ONE, WE
DON'T KNOW, BUT WE DO HAVE A
SMALLER FIVE-ACRE FIRE BURNING
IN THE VICINITY OF THE LOST
DUTCHMAN FIRE, WHICH IS BEING
CALLED THE GOLDFIELD FIRE.
WE AREN'T SURE IF IT'S A SPOT
FIRE OFF THE WASATCH, BUT AGAIN
ARE FIRE INVESTIGATORS WILL
WORK TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF
THOSE FIRES.
THOSE FIRES. >> A LOT OF TIMES WHEN WE HAVE
THESE BRUSHFIRES WE'RE TALKING
ABOUT SALT CEDAR WHICH BURNS
EXTREMELY QUICKLY AS YOU KNOW,
WHAT KIND OF FUEL ARE WE
DEALING WITH HERE?
>> SO, HERE WE ARE DEALING WITH
THE GRASS, THE BRUSH, THE
DESERT TYPE VEGETATION, THE
SCRUB, ALL OF THAT VEGETATION
DRIES OUT VERY QUICKLY, WE CALL
THEM THEY HAVE A LOW MOISTURE
CONTENT, SO, THEY DRY OUT A LOT
FASTER THAN YOUR TYPICAL PINE
THAT YOU WOULD FIND UP IN
FLAGSTAFF.
FLAGSTAFF. THAT'S WHY WE ARE STARTING TO
SEE THE INCREASE IN FIRE
ACTIVITY, WE HAVE SEEN WARMER
THAN NORMAL TEMPERATURES AT THE
END OF APRIL, NOW THAT WE ARE
AT THE BEGINNING OF MAY WE ARE
IN THE 100+, SO ONCE WE START
HEATING UP AND CONSISTENTLY
HEATING UP, THOSE TOOLS DRY OUT
VERY FAST, ONE SPARK IS REALLY
ALL IT TAKES, BRUSHFIRES ARE
FAST IN THE GRASS, AND THEY
MOVED VERY QUICKLY.
>> IS THERE ANY KIND OF A
DIFFERENCE IN FIRE BEHAVIOR
WHEN YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT
THESE FINER FUELS LIKE THE
GRASSES AND THINGS THAT YOU
WERE TALKING ABOUT?
IT BURNS QUICKLY AND DIES OUT
QUICKLY?
QUICKLY?
QUICKLY? OR THERE'S NOT NECESSARILY A
CONNECTION?
CONNECTION? >> EXACTLY, IT'S THE ONE THING
ABOUT A GRASS FIRE IS ALTHOUGH
IT STARTS TO BURN FAST, THEY
SPREAD VERY RAPIDLY, 50 ACRES
TO A COUPLE HUNDRED ACRES,
WITHIN 30 MINUTES, AS IS
RUNNING THROUGH THAT FINE FUEL,
IT'S THE KINDLING BASICALLY
IT'S A TINDERBOX, THAT BURNS
OFF VERY FAST, THAT'S THE GOOD
THING THAT FIREFIGHTERS HAVE AT
THEIR DISPOSAL, IT'S THIS GRASS
VEGETATION BUT THEY CAN GET IT
OUT QUICKLY, AS SOON AS THE SUN
GOES DOWN AND THE TEMPERATURE
COOLS DOWN THEY SHOULD BE ABLE
TO GET THAT FIRE SUPPRESSED
FASTER.
FASTER.
FASTER. >> AND THESE FIRES ACTUALLY
LIKE THE HOT WEATHER, RIGHT?
>> THEY DO, THIS ONE IS VERY
ACTIVE RIGHT NOW, IN CONDITIONS
HOW A FIGHTER BURN, THE FIRE
ACTIVITY THE CONDITIONS ON THE
GROUND, HERE WE ARE
EXPERIENCING HIGH FIRE ACTIVITY
BECAUSE WE ARE, WE HAVE THE
GRASS, IT'S HOT, IT'S DRY, IT'S
WINDY, SO FIRE BEHAVIOR IS VERY
ACTIVE.
ACTIVE.
ACTIVE. SO, THAT'S WHAT THE
FIREFIGHTERS ARE EXPERIENCING
OUT THERE RIGHT NOW, AGAIN,
WITH THESE DECREASING
TEMPERATURES, IT COOLS DOWN
THAT HELPS DECREASE FIRE
ACTIVITY, WITHIN THE GRASS
VEGETATION.
VEGETATION. >> ASIDE, TIFFANY, FROM THE
SLURRY BOMBERS WHICH WE SEE
MAKING RUNS, WHAT ELSE ARE YOUR
CREWS ON THE GROUND DOING TO
DEAL WITH THIS?
ARE THEY DIGGING FIRE LINES,
ARE THEY PUTTING WATER ON?
WHAT IS THE STANDARD PROTOCOL
HERE?
HERE?
HERE? >>
HERE? >> WE ARE USING THE AVIATION,
WE DON'T DO IT EVERY TIME, AT
THIS CASE WE ARE USING IT TO
HELP SLOW THE FIRE.
IT DOESN'T, IS NOT NECESSARILY
USED TO STOP A FIRE, IT JUST
SLOWS THE FIRE, SO THAT FIRE
CREWS FROM THE GROUND THAT ARE
DIGGING THAT LINE ON THAT
PERIMETER, THEY CAN GET IN
THERE SAFER AND QUICKER AND GET
TO THAT FIRE BECAUSE THAT
RETARDED OR THAT WATER IS
SLOWING THE ACTIVITY OF THE
FIRE.
FIRE.
FIRE. WE
FIRE. WE HAVE CREWS ON THE GROUND
DOING THAT, WE HAVE ENGINES
WORKING OFF THE HIGHWAY,
PUMPING WATER ONTO THE FIRE AS
WELL, AND THEN OF COURSE WE
HAVE OUR AVIATION RESOURCES
THAT ARE USING RETARDED OR
WATER TO HELP SLOW THE SPREAD
OF THAT FIRE.
>> HOPEFULLY WE WON'T BE
TALKING ABOUT ANY LOST
STRUCTURES BUT THAT'S THE
CONCERN AND THE REASON WE BROKE
IN TODAY, BECAUSE A LOT OF
TIMES WE WERE SAYING, TIFFANY,
THAT THESE FIRES YOU BASICALLY
LET NATURE TAKE IT'S COURSE AND
LET THE FIRE BURN ITSELF OUT,
BUT IN THIS CASE, AND YOU'RE
TALKING ABOUT HOW CLOSE THIS
FIRE IS BURNING TO SOME HOMES,
YOU HAVE TO STEP IN AND DEAL
WITH THIS AS QUICKLY AS YOU
CAN, I KNOW THAT'S WHY YOU
CALLED IN SO MANY RESOURCES SO
QUICKLY.
QUICKLY.
QUICKLY. >> RIGHT, ANYTIME THERE ARE
STRUCTURES NEARBY WHETHER
THAT'S A HOME, OR A RANCH OR
INFRASTRUCTURE, WE HAVE A
SUBSTATION IN THE AREA OF THIS
FIRE, ANYTIME WE HAVE THAT WE
ARE GOING TO TAKE EXTRA ACTION
AND GET EXTRA RESOURCES, CALLED
OUT IMMEDIATELY WE WILL GET
AIRCRAFT UP TO GET THOSE
PEOPLE, TO GET THAT FIRE TO
KEEP IT FROM HITTING THAT
INFRASTRUCTURE OR HITTING THOSE
PEOPLE PROPERTIES, SO, WE DID
HAVE EVACUATIONS ON THIS FIRE,
EVACUATIONS ARE DONE BY LAW
ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES, THEY WERE
DONE ON THE NORTHEAST SIDE OF
THE FIRE, AND THEY WERE DONE
IMMEDIATELY AFTER THAT FIRE
BROKE OUT, BASED OFF OF
SUPERSTITION FIRE MEDICAL
DIRECTION.
DIRECTION. >> ALL RIGHT.
TIFFANY FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF
FORESTRY AND FIRE MANAGEMENT,
THANKS AGAIN FOR JOINING US, I
KNOW IT'S A BUSY DAY FOR YOU
WITH THIS FIRE IS BURNING IN
APACHE JUNCTION, TWO SMALL
BRUSHFIRES BUT, WE SAY SMALL,
BUT, REMEMBER THAT'S A RELATIVE
TERM, BECAUSE IT WAS BURNING AS
YOU SEE FROM THESE PICTURES
FROM SKY 12, CLOSE TO HOME AND
WITH THE WIND SWIRLING IN 30+
MILES PER HOUR, IT MAKES THE
FIREFIGHT DANGEROUS AND TOUGH
FOR FIRE CREWS ON THE GROUND,
FOR THESE AIR TANKERS TO GET A
QUALITY DROP ON THESE FLAMES,