Tenderfoot Wildfire
June 12, 2016On June 8, a fire began burning on the east side of Yarnell, Ariz. the other side of town from a deadly fire in 2013 that killed 19 Granite Mountain Hotshots, the elite wildland fire crew based in Prescott, Ariz. That fire was on a lot of people’s mind this week as the towns of Yarnell and Peeples Valley were evacuated, the highway to Phoenix closed and crews of firefighters, emergency personnel and incident strategy teams set up Incident Command Post in Peeples Valley to fight the Tenderfoot fire. As of writing on June 11, there are 6 Hotshot crews, 2 Type 2 initial attack crews 22 Engine crews, 2 light, 3 heavy helicopter 2 air attack fixed wing aircraft platforms, 3 bulldozers, logistics, support, managers and volunteers totaling upwards of 350-400. It takes a lot of people, resources, money and time to fight wildland fire. They are doing really well as of today — no people or homes have been lost. Three outbuildings have been lost. The fire is now 30% contained. Wildland fire situations can change with the wind, though. The awareness and preventative action taken after the Yarnell Hill fire likely prevented the fire from spreading nearer to structures and families in Yarnell. Crews have been digging preventative fire lines and clearing fuel for the fire—the dry, high desert foliage—ahead of any incident. While I reported the second and third day at the fire, crews are going to be out there for as long as it takes to run its course.
Arizona is strict on media on wildland incident scenes. They are unpredictable and can escalate without warning. While on assignment, I photographed the fire from the safety of the ICP, but many men and women are out on the smoke-filled Weaver Mountains with heavy equipment, hiking rough terrain. I want to share some photos from the days I spent with the crews working so hard to keep us safe and in times of crisis and some of the people affected by these fires.
