10/7/2009 6:05:00 AM
Residents thankful fire did not spread through town
Potential for disaster in Mayer
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Mayer firefighter Dave Lattman sprays down the second of two homes destroyed in Mayer Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2009.
Photo courtesy Les Stukenburg |
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Photo shows heavy brush and building exposure as high winds fanned the flames.
Photo courtesy Michael Piequet |
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By Sue Tone
Big Bug News
Just a couple weeks ago, Mayer Elementary School conducted a scheduled fire drill. Around noon on Tuesday, Sept. 29, they had good reason to evacuate their classrooms for real.
Supt. Pat Dallabetta, Mayer Unified School District, said he saw flames shooting out of the roof of a two-story home across the street and up a ravine from the school.
He had people up on the roof of the district offices with fire extinguishers, watching for embers. Gusty winds, strong enough for the flag on the school grounds to fly straight out, could have carried the fire directly onto the school property.
Mayer Fire Chief Glenn Brown said the homeowner in the house on Fourth Street saw flames, called the fire department and got out.
"It appears that the cause was related to remodeling work going on with the initial house," Brown said, adding that the owner's dog also escaped without harm, and that no firefighters or civilians were injured.
It was a day of high winds, low humidity and heat - a Red Flag Day, Brown said.
The fire got into roof of the first structure and blew into the brush, igniting a neighboring structure, five outbuildings and a travel trailer.
Brown said he put out a call for help and, as in the past, numerous departments and agencies stepped up.
"The wonder for us is when you ask for help, we ended up with 12 different agencies, 31 fire units, and close to 100 firefighters," he said. "This isn't the first time we've had to call for help, but it's impressive everyone comes to help."
Fire crews arrived from Daisy Mountain in Anthem to the south, Sedona, Cottonwood, Camp Verde, Black Canyon City, and Central Yavapai Fire Department.
Even though the MFD tanker trucks carry more water than traditional municipal trucks, the firefighters battled with a water supply issue throughout the fire. They accessed a nearby fire hydrant for the second structure, "and that helped, but there wasn't one near the first structure," Brown said.
He evacuated residents from about 12 homes in the neighborhoods of Fourth, Fifth and Sixth streets to the Mayer Recreation Center. Students from the Mayer Elementary School left on buses to the high school in Spring Valley.
Leaving the school was a good call, Brown said, as school officials also were concerned about traffic congestion at the end of the school day.
Dallabetta said the students - about 215 children - evacuated in an orderly manner, the teachers knew what they were doing, and the staff was great.
Damages for the buildings total several hundred thousand dollars, Brown said.
He wants to remind readers that the wildfire season in Arizona is all year round now. His message continues to be clear out dry brush around homes and yards.
"A wildfire in dry brush on a Red Flag Day means we are going to lose houses."
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