Daisy Mountain Fire douses pair of small brush fires

STAFF REPORT ~ 6/22/2011

Daisy Mountain Fire Department responded to a pair of small brush fires over the weekend.
The first one occurred north of New River at mile marker 234 at approximately 7:43 p.m. Friday. Engine 146 reported to the scene of a brush fire on the west side of I-17. Fire personnel were able to extinguish the flames within 15 minutes.
The fire was contained to a one acre area. Traffic was not affected by the fire.
At approximately 8 p.m. on Sunday there was a second fire in the wash north of New River Elementary. An area resident called in the fire which started in a tree.
“Both were insignificant,” Daisy Mountain public information officer Dave Wilson said. “The school and the surrounding homes were never in danger.”
Three engines and two tankers responded, extinguishing the flames in approximately 45 minutes.
Wilson, who was among several members of the Daisy Mountain Fire Department that have spent time in Northeastern Arizona fighting the biggest wildfire in state history, said people need to be very aware of their actions this time of year.
“The main thing is cigarettes,” he said. “You shouldn’t be throwing them out the window anyway, but it’s a critical problem when it happens now because the desert is so dry. There is no moisture at all. Beyond that motorists need to make sure that if they’re towing things that they don’t have any chains dragging on the pavement. It doesn’t take much of a spark to start a fire. The other thing I mention is people that have a disabled vehicle need to get them off the road, but don’t leave them in the grass. Often they’re disabled because they’ve overheated and that’s another way fires get started.”