The Payson Roundup: Lightning sets off multiple fires

The 2005 Fire Season

Lightning sets off multiple fires

By Jim Keyworth, Roundup staff reporter

Tuesday, July 19, 2005

The onset of the monsoon season over the weekend triggered a new round of forest fires and a house fire, all ignited by lightning strikes.

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The Payson Ranger District experienced a total of 19 fires Friday and Saturday, according to Gary Roberts, district fire prevention officer.

"On Friday, that storm front came through (along with) a cloudburst, and we really got slammed with a lot of groundstrikes," Roberts said. "We had six fires on the district. Then on Saturday, we had another 13."

Most were contained at less than 1 acre. An exception was the Black Fire 20 miles west of Payson near the Verde River. As of Tuesday morning it had reached 200 acres with no containment.

Oak, Greenback Fires

Fire officials are also concerned about two fires in the Tonto Basin Ranger District. The Oak Fire, 5 miles northwest of Punkin Center on the east side of Mt. Ord, had reached 1,120 acres Tuesday morning with 55 percent containment, while the Greenback Fire, 12 miles east of Punkin Center, had scarred 300 acres Tuesday morning, with no containment.

Richard Haddad/Roundup

A Sikorsky Sky Crane battling the Oak Fire siphons water from Tonto Creek.

Roberts discussed the status of the fire with Bob Ortlund, district fire management officer, after flying over the Oak Fire. Roberts said Ortlund seemed optimistic.

"He felt they've been holding their own with that fire," Roberts said. "On the upper part where it's really rugged, it should've just blasted through there, but it didn't move at all (Sunday) night. On the lower part, it made some runs in the flats."

Greg Keller, superintendent of the Modoc Interagency Hotshots out of Canby, Calif., agreed.

"We've got four hotshot crews with 80 people," he said. "We're getting close to having it wrapped up. If the winds don't pick up, maybe another day or two."

But fires were still frightening for nearby residents like Bill and Lori Brown and their son and daughter-in-law, Willie and Megan Brown.

Richard Haddad/Roundup

Tonto Basin homeowner Willie Brown uses his own bulldozer to help clear roads for fire crews.

"You can see it started right there on top of that mountain," Bill Brown said. "It just came right toward us."

"Within four hours it was here at the house," Lori Brown added.

"It came over so fast we were packing our bags," Megan Brown said. "There were 60-foot flames."

"It came within 200 yards of the house," Bill Brown said. "The firefighters cut fire lines around the house and critical areas."

Keller credited the Browns for clearing the land around their home.

"These folks have a good defensive space around their house," he said. "It's nice to see this. We come into so many places where people want a secluded area around their land."

A third fire, the Salome Fire, has reached 275 acres eight miles east of Punkin Center. It is 40 percent contained.

Richard Haddad/Roundup

Hotshot crews navigate rough terrain Monday as they try to subdue lightning-caused blazes near Tonto Basin.

Two ridge fires

Two more fires are still burning on the Payson Ranger District, one on Kehl Ridge that started Sunday, and another by Snowshoe Ridge that started Monday morning. Roberts said the pattern of lightning strikes responsible for all the fires was unusual.

"Normally when a storm comes through we get most of our lightning strikes north of Control Road 64, but this storm front put down most lightning strikes south of the Control Road and that's very unusual," he said.

Most of the smoke present in the Rim country is probably from the two fires near Tonto Basin. The 6,000-acre Butte Fire near Dugas and Camp Verde in the Prescott National Forest is also impacting the Rim country with smoke.

For more fire information, visit www.fs.fed.us/r3/fire/information/information.htm