Monument Fire - June 2011

Stuff in progress at home... Robert bought new water hose a day or two ago - it looks so green against the charred ground. :-( Robert clearing burned split-rail fence bits and pieces, and downed tree trunks/limbs. Liza checked roof this morning, all looks well, but we have call in anyway to roofer for a

Date/timeStatus28 June 1645
[Liza Weissler]

Stuff in progress at home...

Robert bought new water hose a day or two ago - it looks so green against the charred ground.  :-(
Robert clearing burned split-rail fence bits and pieces, and downed tree trunks/limbs.
Liza checked roof this morning, all looks well, but we have call in anyway to roofer for a re-do (it's been 10 years, why not).
I used shop vac to clear soot and leaves from front porch and back patio.
Freezer in garage de-frosted and cleaned.
Freezer in house de-frosted and cleaned out (by our most wonderful housekeeper Jenny).
Considering a gravel order (but may wait a bit).
Liza ordered new weather station from Davis (6250 Vantage Vue) to replace the incinerated Oregon Scientific WMR200A.
Sierra Vista Farmers' Market on Thursday will have guy from Arizona Revegetation and Monitoring with info on reseeding grasses and wildflowers!  Yay!

28 June 1356
[Pat Call]

Just a quick note …

Better information is coming in … this is/was a brush fire around the area of Adams Trail and Calle Mia.  No structures are reported damaged.  Engines are on scene for structure protection.  Hot Shot crews are on site putting out hot spots.  Helicopters are on the way.  The word as of now – and we all know how this can change – is that this fire is “knocked down”. 

Just heard that Fry Fire is reporting the fire is under control as well.  CCSO is reporting the same. A lot of folks responded – quickly.

Everyone is incredibly nervous.  It needs to rain soon.

Pat.
28 June 1344
[Pat Call]

Just a quick note –

There is a new fire.  Information is sketchy at the moment.  It is on the east end of Kings Ranch Road and moving to the north east.  Incident Command has two air tankers on the way.  As I get more information, I’ll pass it on.

Pat.
28 June 0600
[Stu Whitfield]

I stopped by Liberty Water last night on the way home and they said we could now drink the water, as of 1200 Monday 27 June. I did last night and had no adverse effects (yet). You may want to call yourself to confirm.

I told them they were not doing a very good job communicating this information to the public. They said the best place to get information is at their website at www.libertywater.com
I did a quick scan of the site and did not see any mention that the water is now safe to drink, but I may have missed it.

They said they hoped the water restrictions put in place might be lifted in the next couple days provided everyone continued to comply.

27 June
1600
[Liza Weissler]

Returned from trip to DC and AR about 1600.  Qwest crews working our telephone distribution box - still no dial tone but in progress.  Robert reported water both running well and safe to drink presumably as well.

26 June 0828
[Kate Lawley]

I know that not everyone gets the paper, but there was an article in the newspaper regarding severe water restrictions that went into effect at 6 a.m. this morning.  I spoke with the answering service and they said because the water emergency happened over the weekend, there was no time to send out individual warnings.

I was also told the restrictions were for laundry as well as outdoor watering.  She told me crews are already out removing water meters from homes.

The answering service told me that we should follow the ad they put in the paper (I didn’t see the ad, only the article) which says nothing about indoor conservation.  She also said we would receive a warning but  I quoted her the article, which states, “violations of the mandatory restrictions will subject the customer to immediate termination of water service, without notice, which means water will be shut off and the water meter removed, and the customer will have to pay for water restoration”.  She told me that the article must be correct.

I just wanted everyone to be aware.  You would think they would have some one in management at Liberty today to answer questions since it is the weekend.

23 June
Monument Fire Updates

Coronado National Memorial/Coronado National Forest

Evacuations:
Evacuations West of Highway 92:
Ramsey Canyon Road South to White Lily Lane
This evacuation zone will remain in effect for at least the next 24 hours.

Permit Areas:
Permits will no longer be issued.  All previous permit areas are now open.

Advisories:
Highway 92 is Now Open To Through Traffic.
Road blocks will remain established stopping access from Highway 92 into the evacuation zone.
The Cochise County Sheriff’s Office is requesting use of Highway 92 for people who live in the effected areas only.

Traffic on Highway 92 from Ramsey Canyon Road South to Palominas will have a 45 mile per hour speed limit strictly enforced.
Motorist are reminded that Highway 92 remains a major thoroughfare for public safety and fire crews.

21 June 1327
[Pat Call]

Just a quick note ..

The evacuation from Ramsey Canyon to Kachina for air quality concerns - which starts at 6pm this evening - is supposed to last for 48 hours according to the Sheriff's Office.

However, for those that aren't going to evacuate (like me) because the possibility of poor air quality doesn't matter to them that much and who want to sleep in their own beds tonight - the concern is ... will they be allowed to get home when they come back from work tomorrow night? Or will the roads be blocked? If that's the case, then they need to pack up - again - and find some place else to stay this evening.

Good question. I just talked to Sheriff Dever and he will get back to me soonest with an answer. Standby.

Pat.

21 June 1327
[Pat Call]

Just a quick note ...

I thought last night that I could reduce the number of updates that I send out. Apparently, I was wrong as this is the second one today.

Nevertheless, the information below outlines a new mandatory evacuation starting at 6pm this evening - and the reason for it. Please keep in mind that this evacuation is for a planned burn out. The fire itself is still up in the mountains.

Thanks.

Pat.

" ...The Cochise County Sheriff's Office has ordered a mandatory evacuation of the following area beginning at 6 PM this evening. The area west of Highway 92, between Ramsey Canyon Rd., to the south all the way up to Kachina Rd. to the North and all the way west to Fort Huachuca.

This evacuation order is being taken as a precaution for the continuation of burning operations south across Ramsey Canyon and around a number of individual homes this evening. This operation will remove fuel between the fire and your neighborhood as well as greatly reduce the chance of the fire spreading to the east if it should come out of Carr Canyon. Flames and smoke may be visible, but firefighters are controlling this burn under favorable conditions for success."

21 June 0946
[Pat Call]

Just a quick note ...

If you are still not home, please read the information below ... there may be some good news!

Pat.

Re-Introduction to Evacuated Areas:

The Cochise County Sheriff's Office is conducting re-entry processes into some previously evacuated areas West of Highway 92. These areas include Miller Canyon, Vista Grande, Dead Bear Draw, and Foothills Ranch Estates.

Anyone living in these areas is asked to start meeting Sheriff's Deputies at 9:30 am at Hereford Road and Y Lightning Ranch Road. After meeting with Deputies the residents will be escorted to their community and given further entry and exit routes for their future use.

Advisories:

The United States Post Office in Hereford will begin delivering mail today, however, the facility itself is closed.

The Cochise County Sheriff's Office is advising that as of 6:00 a.m. (6-21) this morning we have not received any reports of looting or burglaries in the evacuated areas.

21 June 0903
[Liza Weissler]

Short story: back home, online.

Longer story: got in last night after getting a pass to get through checkpoints.  (good plan - keeps looky-loos out, residents only.)  Didn't turn power on until this morning, just in case - power on in neighborhood but breaker off at house.  We have power now.  Still no water, no phone (land line).  Propane was on at tank (good thing it didn't blow!) but water heater pilots off at home, so we turned the water heaters off entirely.  No water anyway...so that can wait.  We will (shortly) have hot water in the spa anyway for cleaning up.  No phone means no wireless network, but I have a t-mobile usb thing that has me connected on my laptop.   We're basically doing some recon here this morning to start figuring out what we need to do in what order, but aside from that I expect to work about a half day today, and all of tomorrow, Friday.  Thursday I had off already anyway, and Monday.

Things look bleak at first all around but there are a lot of positives.  Besides the house still standing that is.  The birds descended on us once Robert put out feeders this morning - all of the usuals are back.  Saw some lizards attacking tree trunks for bugs (which are out, too - indestructible things).   A lot of stuff out there got incinerated so the temps must have been pretty darn high, you can tell from the color of the ash what burned hotter than others. 

... BTW FSM/SOD developer Steve Bortman still isn't allowed home yet, his side of hwy 92 is still under mandatory evac.  I know houses a bit further down the road from him are like mine - burned all around but structures fine.  Hoping that is the case with his but won't know until he or someone can get in there to assess.

[Later heard from Steve that fire generally missed him - still green around his house.  woo hoo!]


21 June 0848
[Liza Weissler]

We were allowed back to our house last night, got in about 9 pm.  Had to go get a pass to get past the roadblocks.  Didn't turn power on until this morning (didn't want any surprises at night).  No phone, water, propane (well that one we turned off until lines can be checked).  Anyway we are in recon mode here at the house and figuring what needs to be done in what order.

21 June 0057
[Pat Call]

Just a quick note ...

While still far from over, the immediacy of the fire seems to be fading. The wind has retreated, new defenses are being built this evening and, unless there is an unexpected hiccup, the fire will continue around and behind the mountain, away from people and their homes, over the next few days. Ramsey Canyon is the next battle ground but, somehow, it seems less of a battle tonight and more of a 'police action' compared to what we have faced over the last eight days. I hope I'm right.

There really is nothing new to report tonight that you probably haven't already heard. While it seems to have taken awhile, there are now many sources of good and timely information. As this night ends, people are returning to their homes - slowly, carefully, albeit slightly bureaucratically. Those who are returning, even as inconvenient as it may have been, are fortunate; there are those who have nothing to return to but scorched walls and ash filled rooms. As the fire, hopefully, walks its way around the mountain, aided by the careful guidance and hard work of the fire fighters, our focus needs to shift. What happens next? How do we clean up? How do we get back to normal?

There are so many people who have simply done their jobs that we will never hear about. But, because they have 'simply' done their jobs, all of our lives are better, less affected or, in most cases, not even slightly inconvenienced by this country's number one priority fire.

I have this nagging thought that there should be one overarching, significant lesson to be learned from this, a life changing epiphany that we can pass on to the kids that will change their life for the better. Somehow I keep thinking that this unprecedented event should leave us with some profound lesson. But it eludes me so far. No doubt there have been uncountable instances of bravery, selflessness, generosity, concern, giving and such. These uncommon things have become commonplace in this community over the last week.

Maybe there is no 'lesson'. Maybe what has happened has simply matured us. Whether we are 20 or 40 or 70 years old, this last week has matured us. In so many ways we are better, more experienced and more capable of dealing with the ups and downs of life. Maybe what we can take away is simply a better perspective on life. I don't know. I do know that it is late, I'm tired and, strangely, I'm sort of looking forward to tomorrow and the normalcy of the regular work sessions, board meetings and budget discussions relative to running a county - all the things that usually take up my time. I'm also thinking I'm not alone ... I'm thinking there are a lot of folks looking forward to the normalcy that tomorrow may bring.

In any case, I will be sending out fewer updates - unless things heat up again, god forbid. I will stay in touch in the future on an irregularly regular basis with varied and general information that I think will be of interest to you. If you need help or have problems, don't hesitate to get hold of me - I'll be glad to do what I can.

Pat.

20 June 2047
[Liza Weissler]

Hi all we are in and staying night. Not turning on power until we can see in morning. Perhaps report into this list as you are able, if you want, when you return. Good night all.

20 June 1510
[Liza Weissler]

I heard they are still planning to lift the evacuation order sometime today/evening, but here are the catches.

Still no power and no water. Less than 1ft of water in the WH tank, so need some serious pumping, and whatever else Liberty Water needs to do to flush lines. So don't count on water. Power presumably forthcoming but not there yet.

Hwy 92 still dead stop n/s, checks at Ramsey and Hereford, nobody getting through; on south side still blocked at Coronado. So if we are allowed in, it will be from Palominas end, and as the Moson to Hereford to Palominas route is still closed for folks coming from Sierra Vista, we may have to go via Bisbee.

We're going to be issued tags/vouchers of some sort to hang on our rearview mirrors. Presumably at the school down on Palominas Road, but details not yet available - will distribute when I hear.

Anybody hears anything updated please reply-all or send to me to redistribute, thanks.

20 June 1500
[Rick Dirks]

We talked to the folks at the command center as of about 3:00 pm today and WH is still closed..........mandatory evac.

20 June 1330
[Pat Call]

Just a not so quick note ...

I just got back 30 minutes ago from driving the area of last night's fire. This is not an official notice - what I'm relaying here is simply what I saw and tried to write down. An official catalog of damage, I'm told, will be available through the SO's office later this afternoon or possibly early tomorrow morning.

Carr Canyon ... the fire came out of Miller and burned over to the Mesquite Tree - all around the Tree right up to the fence in the back - but the firefighters saved the building. Across the Carr Canyon Road to the north there appeared to be one manufactured home that was burned behind Bonnie's. Going up Carr Canyon road to where the pavement ends - no damage to any structures or outbuildings. Seeing the glow coming from Carr last night, I expected something quite different and worse ... but that wasn't the case. The fire came down in the upper areas of the paved section right to the road on the south side, but I saw no damage at all. Upper Carr looks toasted but I didn't go past the pavement.

White Lily area on the west of 92 between Carr and Miller Canyon Road was burnt pretty thoroughly. This was where the fire blew across 92. However, the homes in that area look untouched/undamaged - at least from the road although the fire looks like it burned all around them. The few homes way up on the side of the hill didn't look damaged but I couldn't tell for certain.

Hereford and 92 - as reported earlier, Ricardo's, Nick's Place and the Café are gone but the homes behind them appeared relatively untouched. The Lone Star, Post Office, etc. are fine to the south.

Miller Canyon ... all the grass land between the post office and the back of the Foothills Ranch subdivision on the west side is crisped and bare with the now familiar millions of black dots where tufts of native grass used to be. The fire burned right up to the back of the Foothill houses whose backyards face due north. In some cases the fire - or heat - made it into a few of the backyards burning some plants - but no apparent damage to the residences. I believe one home might have some damage to the back of the house. All the rest of the houses in the entire subdivision north of Miller Canyon Road are untouched as well as those homes on the south side of Miller Canyon Road. The fire followed the wash that goes through the subdivision but was contained to the wash area. I have to think that the firefighters did an incredible job in the midst of thick smoke and walls of fire.

Vista Grande - absolutely untouched over to Dead Bear Draw. I drove up every street in the Vista Grande area to the very end and - nothing. The fire came down to the backyards, in some cases, of the homes right at the bottom of the foothills - but no further. Again, amazing work by the firefighters.

Across Hwy 92 to the east starting at Ramsey Road and going south - the news is not so good. The fire obviously was running fast and hot.

Between Santa Aurelia Ave and Campobello Ave - Fire crossed road between Santa Aurelia Ave and Campobello along Ramsey Road - barely singeing some grass on the north side. No structure damage to the north along Ramsey Road. The building on south side of Ramsey and Campobella is destroyed. It is at the northeast bottom of the undeveloped subdivision where the fire blew through. The church just to the east of it on Wild Rose is untouched.

Wild Rose Road - it looks like about five manufactured homes were destroyed on the west side and one on the east - all of these are from halfway down Wild Rose to the end on the south side. Most homes are standing, though.

Mesquite Tree Lane - One manufactured home appeared destroyed on the east. Multiple homes heavily hit with slurry on extreme south end of the road.

Camino del Amor - South end fire where the fire moved through, at least one manufactured home was lost. Fire seemed to move down wash. Forest service still putting out hot spots and doing structure protection there.

Mountain Side Lane - Slurry hit homes about halfway down the road to the south. One manufactured home damaged on west side. Again, the fire was following the wash and stopped at west side of Mountain Side Lane.

Calle de la Palmera - One MH destroyed on north side of road.

Calle de la Menta - Little if any damage along Calle de la Menta coming from Calle de la Palmera. Fire moved through but did not appear to have touched any homes. Some damage to aluminum outbuildings, car ports and cars parked in the yards. Fire appears to have stopped on west side of Calle de la Menta near Calle del Narcisco. No damage to homes.

Calle del la Menta to Calle de la Manzana, burned some areas; seems to have followed the wash. No homes damaged, some outbuildings damaged.

Burned on extreme southern end of Calle de la Cereza near the intersection with Calle de la Fresca. Heading west on Calle de la Fresa, fire burned through open areas but no apparent structure damage. Straight up hill towards Carr Canyon and Miller Canyon, SSVEC is working the area.

Going north on Calle de la Naranja, houses slurried but no apparent structure damage. About halfway down by the big water tank, on the west side of Calle de la Naranja, fire burned up to the road but did not cross. Fire went through the wash at the north end of the road. At the extreme north end of Naranja, telephone poles burned and power lines down. Going east into Windmill Ranch, outbuildings at Windmill Ranch were destroyed but main structure is intact. Road turns into Labrador Lane. No structural damage to buildings on either side of road.

No damage at all from Labrador up to the dead end on the north end of Calle de la Mango. Fire came down through the wash between Calle de la Mango and Calle de la Rose. Fire came down between homes on Calle de la Rosa, but no apparent damage to homes.

Hereford Road - absolutely no damage on either side of the road heading east from 92.

I hope this helps some folks and I'm very sorry I couldn't be more specific about the homes lost in the Wild Rose area east down Ramsey for two or three streets. Again, what I'm relaying here is very, very unofficial. The SO promises they will have an assessment list out by late this afternoon. Call 432-9500 for the latest information.

I'll be back in touch later - probably late tonight.

Pat.

20 June 1253
[Pat Call]

Just a quick note and some good news ...

This afternoon - tentatively around 2pm and maybe as late as early evening - Three Canyons, Wild Horse and certain areas of Stoneridge are going to be reopened to residents. Please, don't simply drive out there until you get the word. If you don't have access to a radio or channel 12, then you can call the Sheriff's Office at 432-9500 - after 2pm - to find out if those areas have been opened to residents.

Again, this is just for residents.

Also, the following was recently sent:

" ...The Cochise County Sheriff's Office has established a procedure for residents who live in Ash and Stump Canyon, and who have been advised that their property has been damaged to view that property. Any resident who has been contacted and advised of property loss/damage in these two areas should contact the Cochise County Sheriff's Office at 520-803-3850 to make an appointment to view your property.Once an appointment has been made, a Deputy will transport up to four people to the property address to allow for photos to be taken and damage assessment. There will be no personal vehicles allowed into the areas past the road blocks.Please make sure to call the number listed for an appointment or the resident cannot gain access to the areas."

I will be back out on the road soon, so I will not be able to respond to questions until much later this evening.

I'll stay in touch.

Pat.

20 June 0815
[Pat Call]

Just a quick note...

I've been trying to pull information together for the last hour or so but there isn't much to report yet.

In the dark last night, it looked to me like the caboose off of 92 was still standing I was wrong. It is gone but the house was saved apparently.

Most of the night, it looked like lower Carr was burning hard but I'm starting to hear that the fire was moving slowly so there is likely little, if any, structure damage. I will try to get in there later this morning a get a look. I still don't have a good idea of the damage on the east side of 92 over to Ramsey where the fire jumped. Again, I'll know more later this morning.

Lifting evacuation orders on several areas yesterday were just about ready to happen until the fire blew out. Those plans are on the table but are on hold at the moment. There is a possibility that there may be an announcement sometime late this afternoon about some areas but no one is willing to speculate until later today. All evacuation orders still stand.

I spoke with Jack Blair from SSVEC earlier this morning. Power is still out in some areas in Hereford, Palominas and along Ramsey and they don't know why yet. Supervisors are out in the field trying to get a handle on it. There may be a downed line somewhere they aren't aware of, it may be ash on something or slurry shorting something out. Jack will keep me updated.

There is some concern that the areas south of Yaqui and Camino Principle to Ramsey Road and Ramsey Canyon that were put under mandatory evacuation were not adequately blocked off from strangers driving through last night. That's true. I was out there until midnight or a little later asking people to stay out of the area. There weren't a lot of people and they were all just looking for good places to watch the fire. The problem is that there are so many ways to get into those areas that it is hard to manage it. Nevertheless, that's on my list to take care of today. There will be better security in those areas tonight.

Everyone in incident command is expecting a slower day fire wise. We can only hope that holds.

I'll stay in touch.

Pat.

19 June 2200
[Pat Call]

Just a quick note

My home was put on a Mandatory Evacuation order earlier today so I've been busy relocating but I've found a computer that works so, for what it is worth, I'll give you a brief update. Forgive me if this is information you already know.

As Chairman of the Board of Supervisors and because the Board declared an emergency which the Gov accepted, the Board Chair is given special powers.

I have the ability without consulting with the other members of the Board to act unilaterally in some areas. Accordingly, earlier this evening I have requested that the Gov send us some AZ National Guard units. We would anticipate they will help in securing areas that have been evacuated. We simply don't have the manpower to patrol what is becoming a fairly large area. As of this writing, I don't know if she will accept the request, how many troops she will send or how long it will take to get them here. I'll know more tomorrow.

After the fire information meeting this evening I was able to get out to the area of today's fire. It was already dark so I could not see far off the road. The Ricardo's complex to include Nick's and the Café is, indeed, gone. As I drove by, a few pieces of wall from Ricardo's still stood reflecting the flickering light from a single large tongue of flame that was still burning hard and higher than the burned walls in the middle of the building. There was no attention being paid to it by anyone; there was no need. The building was gone; the single flame was going nowhere and there were other more pressing concerns.

The post office is untouched, the general store is untouched and the new building being built is untouched as is the Lone Star. Maybe tomorrow will bring an explanation as to why some burned and others did not but it made no sense in the dark of this night.

I went up Miller Canyon into the Foot Hills Ranch subdivision. Twenty-five or thirty vehicles were everywhere, people in yellow jackets, blue uniforms and green border patrol garb moved in an out of the red and blue emergency lights that strobed the dark. A lot of grim, dirty and streaked faces moving about. And I saw no fire damage. Maybe one house on the northeast corner area may have had damage. The garage was open and officials were going in and out. My impression was that there may have been some damage on the back of the house that faced the large grassy area. The rest of the community appeared absolutely undamaged. But the backdrop to that community this evening was a thousand flickering points of orange/red dancing spots of light. Upper Miller Canyon was glowing.

As I came back past the Mesquite Tree Restaurant, it was absolutely unscathed. There was a line of headlights stretching back up Carr Canyon coming down to 92 and a lot of vehicles appeared staged in the Tree's parking lot. A great deal of effort was obviously being poured into Carr this evening.

It was hard to tell in the dark, but the caboose in the west side of 92 appeared ok but glowing embers seemed to be all around it.

North of the Mesquite Tree it appears the fire jumped 92. A great many emergency vehicles were lined up on the east side but it was too dark to see anything. I don't want to speculate but my sense was that the fire made it to Ramsey Road on the east side of 92 but I have no idea of any damage as of this evening. I'll get out there when it gets light tomorrow.

This is the first chance I have had to get on the computer since this afternoon so I don't know if I'm telling you anything new. But I'm at that point that I'm so tired I can't go to sleep - so thought I would send this out for what it is worth.

As I think I said earlier a lot of people around here are going to remember this Father's Day for a long time to come.

Pat.

19 June 1800
Evacuations and closures...
19 June 1745
[Tim Peters]
Please pass on: they have the fire contained to the southwest and are working north up Ramsey to 92. The are also working engines up Hereford road north.
19 June 1734
[Tim Peters]
Just got that they are hitting hot spots from Kino. Listening to Chief Bill Miller. He is doing a great job. I know Bill and I am going to kiss him next time I see him!
19 June 1724
[Liza Weissler]
Heavy tanker just flew over us in town - woo hoo! Slurry headed to fire?  Air support back up?  Lost my scanner feed so not hearing there.
19 June 1700
[Tim Peters]
Off the scanner: they saved the structures in Foothills Ranch and the fire has moved though to the south.

[Liza Weissler]
I heard on scanner hard evac all the way to hwy 90.

19 June 1638
[Pat Call]

Quick note …

Apparently the fire jumped 92 north of M&R – and is running.   There is a call for all fire units to respond.  Word is that the fire may be slowing.

Just heard… mesquite tree is saved – so far.

Hearing that there is a house fire near the mall?  Not confirmed.  Totally unrelated the Monument fire.

Pat.
19 June 1615
[Liza Weissler]
Heard on scanner...fire jumped hwy 92 at Carr Canyon.  Also announcement to all fire units in county to report to Yaqui & 92 or 3 Canyons and 92.  Very black smoke from west of hwy - propane or what is burning?
19 June
1608
[Tim Peters]
Listening to the scanner. Fire has crossed 92 at White Lilly just north of Foothills Ranch.
19 June 1545
[Pat Call]

A quick note …

[Here] is a picture from a few minutes ago.  It appears that Ricardos, Nick's Place and the German café have been lost.

I'm also hearing – at the moment – that only spot fires are getting across Hwy 92 and but they are being put out quickly. 

Right now, the fire is somewhere near the Mesquite Tree.  No information as to its fate.  Too much smoke to see.

Again, this is as of this writing.

Pat.

19 June 1545
[SV Herald]

An air attack assessment mission over the growing Monument Fire will not lead to air tanker operations to drop retardant on the blaze which has spread, spilling over into Carr Canyon, a spokesman said.

Conditions are not safe enough, at this time, to launch aircraft, based on the report of the crew after the air attack plane returned before 3 p.m., the spokesman said.

19 June 1510
[SV Herald]

According to the most recent updates from Fort Huachuca all personnel have been cleared from Sites Papa and Uniform, the Aerostat site, Sportsman’s Center and Range Control.

The Mountain View Golf Course has been evacuated and is closed until further notice.

Due to issues with air quality Fort Huachuca residents should close windows and doors, and turn on air conditioning. If in a smoky area, a barrier (mask, handkerchief, etc.) should be utilized.

19 June 1440
[Pat Call]
Just a quick note ...

I just received this email below from Mike Evans -County Emergency Services Coordinator.

Pat.

" ... Am sitting on 92 just down from mesquite near white lilly. Fire is past hereford and the caboose here has almost burned at least twice. Can't see it now due to smoke. I know structures were lost in the nicks/ricardos area but don't know which ones or how many.

Report of a blevy on a propane tank near nicks place.

Spot fires only are being reported on the east side of 92 which are being picked up quickly.

Air assets can not get off the ground due to the normal winds and the winds at/in the fire are horrific.

Getting ready to do burnout ops from white lilly back to fire to try and stop the fire there. "

19 June 1345
[SV Herald]
The Monument Fire is growing in intensity, coming down Miller Canyon and may have spilled over into Carr Canyon, a spokeswoman for the Northern Rockies Incident Management Team said at 1:35 p.m. today.

Terina Mullen said ground crews have been removed from the line in Miller Canyon to another holding point and the fire has not crossed Highway 92.

The winds are blowing between 45 and 55 mph.

Air support is being sought but the winds may prohibit use of air tankers or helicopters, she said.

The decision to use them if an air attack plane can fly over the area to assess if it is safe to use air assets, Mullen said.


19 June 1315
[Liza Weissler]
At a home on Laurel Ln in Sierra Vista - not far from Avenida Cochise & Coronado.  Looks like major blowout in Miller.  Huge billowing smoke clouds, nasty wind, scanner seems to indicate that they're trying to get helo and air tanker up but with winds gusting at 50 mph - seems like a desperation move.  Robert reports from view outside flames coming across Carr reef.  Guys heading out to Blacks' home to help Joan evac.
19 June 1311
[Pat Call]

Just a quick note …

As of this email … Ramsey Canyon north to Yaqui and Ramsey Road north to Yaqui down to Campobella are now under mandatory evacuation orders.

The Fire has not crossed Hwy 92 but it is heating up according to incident command … obviously.

I am now in the mandatory evacuation area.  Information from me may become a bit more sketchy … we'll see.

Thanks.

Pat.
19 June 1230
[SV Herald]
Latest evacuation map...
19 June 1200
[KVOA web site]
Monument Fire evacuation notice update

12:01 PM

SIERRA VISTA - The Cochise County Sheriff's Office has updated its evacuation alert for those impacted by the Monument Fire.

Here's the following information:

Reissued a reverse 911 pre-evacuation is going out to Ramsey Canyon north to Yaqui and east to Campobello.

A new pre-evacuation order is being issued for Ramsey Canyon north to lower Ranch, west of Aquaduct, and east to the San Pedro River.

Evacuation orders remain in effect for the area south of Ramsey Road.

Here's the Fire Joint Information Center number - 1-800-288-3861

19 June 1030
[Pat Call]

Just a quick note …

I just received a call from the County's Emergency Services Coordinator, Mike Evans – he's at the very top of the Vista Grande Area.  He reports that everything is clear there.  Same for the Foothills Ranch area off of Miller Canyon Road.  The fire is still back up in the canyon.  The church just to the north of Stan Greer on Hwy 92 has been a staging area for fire fighters for the last several days.  Mike reports that there are very many responders and equipment staged there at the moment … waiting.

Good news – as of right now anyway.

I had a question as to whether the fire meeting tonight will be televised again.  As of now, the meeting on the fire at 6pm will be televised again on channel 12 – thanks to Tim Cervantes and Cox.

For those who have been asking to be put on the email list … I'm going to try to spend the next few hours this morning working on that, bear with me.

One more thing … thanks to all of you who sent me a Happy Father's Day note!  I appreciate it.  This will be a Father's Day few of us will ever forget.

I'll stay in touch.

Pat.

19 June 0955

[Pat Call]
Just a quick note …

There will be another public fire meeting tonight at Buena – 6pm.

Joint Information Center (JIC) phone number: 1-800-288-3861

I know that many people are anxious to get home but given current fire conditions, it is highly unlikely that any evacuation orders will be changed today.  I can tell you that getting people back to their homes is a high priority.  Plans to do so in a safe, orderly and fast way are being developed, if not in place already – ready to pull the trigger when it is safe.  Just to be clear, though, current evac orders are still in place. 

The concern at the moment, and frankly the only focus of everyone, is to keep the fire from blowing down the Miller Canyon area – which could include the Vista Grande area as well, and jumping Hwy 92.  If it jumps Hwy 92 in that area, it could be bad.  It could move very fast down the Ramsey Road to Hereford Road area.  If you live in those areas under the Mandatory Evacuation Order and have chosen to stay in your home – please stay alert, or better … leave.  This is a very dynamic situation at the moment.

I just received word that there will be no aviation resources available to fight the fire today – the wind is too high. 

As expected, unfortunately, by Incident Command last evening – this is going to be a long, tough day of fire fighting.

Pat.19 June 1000
[SV Herald]

A Red Flag Warning remains in effect on the Monument Fire as crews expect winds in excess of 35 miles per hour with single digit humidity by this afternoon. The focus remains in the Miller Canyon area as the fire moves down towards the mouth of the canyon and Highway 92. Crews will continue to strengthen fire containment lines from Miller Canyon to the Fort Huachuca boundary to form a break between homes and the encroaching fire. The fire size is currently 20,956 acres and has destroyed 44 homes and 18 other structures since it started June 12.

There are 1,061 people assigned to the fire, including 22 crews, 100 engines, 9 helicopters.

19 June 0737
[Sandy Witwer]

Hi neighbors.  I'm forwarding this to my list of all WH houses.  It may or may not include more addresses than this one (I didn't compare).  Someone in this list of e-mails had asked that if anyone had a list with more on it to pass it along.  I just got back on my computer late Sat.  We got electricity back Sat around 5:00pm.  Our refrig and freezer was still ok .. still had ice.  Another day and it would have been iffy.

The water people came around yesterday (Sat) and shut off the water at the street to all homes.  They told Wins that when the elect was back on, then they would start the pump at water tank.  Also said the tank was empty.  They will need to fill the tank to a certain level and then treat it and then blow out the lines before they turn the water back on to our homes.  Their best guess at that time was that we would have water mid-week.

Wins called the water company yesterday around 5:00pm and told them that we now have elect back so that they could start the pump.  He just got back from checking the pumps.  It is 7:30am Sunday and as of now the pumps have not been started yet.  

Wins also said any damage to your irrigation system should not impact the domestic water system.  If backflow preventors were installed.

If they allow you back in and you plan to stay it would be a good idea to bring bottled water with you.
19 June 0614
[J Tregre]

Good morning!

We found water on the floor by our ‘fridge, indicating the power had been off enough to melt the ice in our icemaker.   I am assuming from that, that ALL food has thawed enough to be unsafe. 

All parts of our underground water system that were above ground melted.  That leads me to suggest that you turn off your water system until you have time to check it out.  The firefighters really need all the water.

We went down 3 Canyons again.  The firefighters are still patrolling, looking for hotspots that may flare, and send burning embers into our neighborhood’s unburned areas.  Please take heart that they are doing everything they can, and that they are actively monitoring and not just leaving us hanging.


19 June 0004
This morning's evacuation map from the SV Herald. 
18 June 2249
[Pat Call]
Just a quick note …

The Monument Fire is the number 1 priority fire in the United States as of tonight.  There are over 1000 people fighting this fire.  Tomorrow appears to be a crossroads.  50 mile an hour winds are expected.  If the team can hold the fire from blowing down Miller and Carr across Hwy 92, Monday will bring lower winds and more control of the fire.  Incident command hopes to turn the fire south and west tomorrow and away from Ramsey Canyon.  But no one is willing to make predictions tonight as to what tomorrow may bring.

I've directed the Sierra Vista transfer station to be open tomorrow (Sunday) from 10am to 3pm for people who are doing 'structure protection' around their house – cutting down low hanging limbs on trees and mowing grasses as short as possible.  You can bring your lawn waste to the transfer station tomorrow in order to get it away from your home.

Evacuation orders still stand.  There was discussion today amongst law enforcement and Incident Command (Forest Service) about letting folks back into some of the affected areas – Ash Canyon area and Stump.  Three things got in the way … the wind picked up, the fire looked like it might come back down Miller and SSVEC still had downed lines in some areas.  Additionally, fire vehicles, emergency vehicles and SSVEC equipment are crisscrossing Hwy 92 in the affected areas working feverishly to deal with a complex and varying diversity of problems.  Opening 92 today to the general public just wasn't possible. 

We will see what tomorrow brings – but the high winds will probably get in the way of lifting any evac orders … we'll see.

Pre-evac notifications have been extended north along both sides of Moson Road and all the way to BST.

Being the number one priority fire in the country is good … and bad.  It is good because we have the most experienced and capable firefighters working on this fire in the country that will get pretty much anything they ask for in terms of assets to fight the fire.  It's bad because it means that the possibility of significant structure loss is the highest in the country.  Being number one is a sobering consideration – if you haven't really thought about it.

We have over 12,000 displaced people in our community tonight – that's bad.  We also have thousands of people who are volunteering their time, their back bedrooms, their horse corals, their RVs as well as their time and energy to help the displaced … and that's the good.

I've been so busy all week and today that when someone asked me today what I was going to do for Father's Day tomorrow – I had completely forgotten it was Father's Day.  So for all the fathers out there (including me), have a great day … and stay safe!

Pat.

18 June 1845
SSVEC's Monument Fire Power Restoration Plan

WH is area 10

18 June 0924

[Pat Call]

Just a quick note …

I just spoke with the folks at incident command and have the following information:

Incident command is anticipating a quiet day which is going to give them an opportunity to do a lot of prep work in the face of anticipated 50mph winds tomorrow (Sunday).   The efforts are going to center on Carr Canyon and Ramsey Canyon. 

Incident command indicated concern about the fire running back around the south side of the mountains and heading east along the border.  They will be monitoring this closely in the days to come.

The county has brought in five more large dump trucks to aid in brush removal from those areas as the fire lines are created.

Still no word on lifting the evacuation orders.  All evac orders remain in place as of this writing.

Thanks to Tim Cervantes and Cox, and the fact the fire information meetings will be held at Buena – they may be able to be televised on Channel 12. Tim is working on it and will let me know.

Thanks.

Pat.18 June 0745
[Pat Call]

A Joint Information Center (JIC) has been set up.  The phone number is (800) 288-3861.  The idea behind the JIC is that it is a "one-stop shop" operation.  One number to find out everything – fire info, evac info, shelter info and so on.  It is just getting set up and it may not be running at 100% yet - but it will get better as the day goes on, so have patience.

I will have information on whether or not some evacuated areas will be reopened later today.  However, as of this writing, all evacuations orders still stand.

A fire information meeting will be held again this evening – June 18, 6pm – but the location has changed … it will be held at Buena High School. 

Overnight, crews continued strengthening containment lines east of Highway 92 and began mop-up activities.  Carr Canyon and upper Ramsey Canyon are the next major areas of concern.

As you are probably aware by now, fire suppression helicopters and retardant dropping air tankers supported ground crews in Miller Canyon yesterday to calm the most active area of the fire. Successful efforts kept the fire from crossing Highway 92 and away from homes. Local fire departments continued structure protection ahead of the main fire.

The fire on the Fort was caused by a bulldozer working a fire line.  Even with a water tender just a few hundred feet away, the fire still got away from them.  Incidentally, I was talking with the Incident Commander last night and he told me that they had to stop using bulldozers on some of the fire lines yesterday for the same reasons, sparks from the machine were igniting the grasses.  It is incredibly dry.  One of the ops guys told me last night that the fire conditions are 100%; he's rarely seen this in his career.

Dead Bear Draw, Vista Grande and lower Miller Canyon area suffered no fire damage.  While no place is absolutely safe from fire, these areas are much safer this morning than they were yesterday as the fire continues to move north past them. 

Please keep in mind that while commercial fireworks are available to the public, there is a ban on their use in Sierra Vista City, Bisbee City and Douglas City.  Additionally, the Board of Supervisors issued a ban on their use – countywide in the unincorporated areas – last week.  These restrictions will stay in place until the fire danger has passed.

I will stay in touch throughout the day as new information comes up.  However, it might be a bit sketchy.  Our house is in a pre-evacuation area and we need to spend some time in the yard doing some 'structure protection' efforts.

Speaking of structure protection, I had a chance to drive through Three Canyons area late yesterday afternoon.  It was amazing.  For the first two/three miles every bit of the tall grass is gone.  Acres and acres of a million small burnt dots where the native grass used to be.  Every small bush, scrub mesquite and yucca plant are crisped.  But not a single house is burnt.  One house had damage to its clay tiles and some homes with white walls had black smudge marks on them.  Between every house, around every house – the ground is burned; the native grass is toasted, but not the homes.  The dried grass areas burned fast, created a lot of smoke and flames – but apparently it didn't burn hot.  And the message was clear to me … if your house is in a danger area, cut the grass very short close to your house and other structures (down to the dirt if possible), don't grow a tree close to the house, keep the limbs on your trees trimmed high above the ground and don’t stack wood against the house.

I will stay in touch.

Thanks.

Pat.
17 June 2232
[Carrie Saba]

Just leaving WH. Snuck in back way via 3 Canyons.  Took 90 to Moson to Ramsey east. Cannot go west or south on Ramsey. It's blocked. So to get to Hereford you have to take some dirt roads. Take a gps.  Waved to border Patrol on Hereford rd but didn't stop. Then to Palominas to 3 canyons. At Villa de oro there are border patrols. Tell them who you are and take back way into WH. Recommend suv or truck. A bit rough. Cannot exit via Hwy 92. Was told that we would be cited if police stopped us. But no problems going back way. 

 Alerted border patrol about small embers burning throughout WH. Nothing big but keep praying. Quite amazing how the fire blew through without major damage. 

Probably no more updates from me since our spotter David has moved into town. 

God bless and good night!


17 June 1400
[Pat Call]

Just a quick note …

We are getting preliminary reports from incident command that the fire is coming down Miller, closing in on Hwy 92 and potentially crossing at that location.

Reports on Stump Canyon are that 7 houses were lost, four out buildings lost, one vehicle damaged and one historic building damaged.

Attached is a copy of the Governor’s declaration of emergency – for those that might be interested.

Pat.
17 June 1130

[Pat Call]

Just a quick note …

I’ve just returned to my county office from the incident command briefing at Valley View School.

There are now over 800 firefighters in the area including 23 crews, 54 engines and 7 helicopters.  The firefighters can do their best preventative work at night when the wind has died.  This is when they can do the burn outs to reduce the potential energy and intensity of the fire during the day.  A great deal of work was done throughout last night.  The more firefighters who are on scene the more burnouts can be accomplished during the night.

I was in Dead Bear Draw this morning and significant burn out operations had been accomplished.  The same for the areas above Vista Grande and up Miller Canyon.  These are the areas that are the focus of concern today.  Efforts are also being focused on upper Carr and upper Ramsey Canyon.

Santa Cruz, Pinal, Graham and Pima county Sheriff’s offices have sent deputies to us in order to augment the Cochise County SO department.  Additionally, DPS has sent extra officers.

The County, City, Fort Huachuca and the Forest Service are setting up a joint communication center to be housed in the SV PD station.  This should be up and running by tomorrow morning at the latest.  This center will be the single source of all information for residents to call.  As soon as it has been stood up and the phone number is established, I will push that info out.

In the meantime, Residents from Stump Canyon south to Ash Canyon who do not know the condition of their homes can call the SO at 432-9500 for that information or to be put on a call back list once the information is known (Stump Canyon info is still being collated – I’ve been told that by this afternoon it will be finished and available to residents).

There is a pre-evacuation notice going out to residents north of Ramsey Canyon to Yaqui and from Ramsey Road north to Yaqui down to Campabello.

There is another public meeting at the Windemere tonight at 6pm.

I’ve just heard that the Gov has signed the county’s declaration of emergency.

I will continue to stay in touch.

Thanks.

Pat.17 June 1056
[Rick Dirks]
[Here] are some pictures that Sully and Carole took just this morning at Wild Horse.  Sully said the damage (grass burnt, etc - NO buildings) seemed to be restricted to the Garrett's house west towards Three Canyons (Wild Horse I); little or no damage on the Wild Horse II side.  Sully can verify, but it looks like many of the trees may have survived.....even some of the agave in the burnt areas still look green.

Rick


17 June 1050
[Liza Weissler]
I made it in a little after 0830 - ramsey to moson to hereford to palominas to 3 canyons, cut over on the new "road" opposite Vista del
Oro.  Checkpoint at about Hereford & Nucci told me I had 30 minutes, which I overshot...when I came back out at Hereford/Palominas,
couldn't go up Hereford, had to go out the long way thru Bisbee and around.   Anyway pretty charred looking everywhere, but all the houses
I could see looked good.  The consistent story is the fire got up to courtyard walls and in our case right up to the house, but aside from
a scorch mark here and there, nothing bad.  Didn't drive all of WH as I was in a hurry to get out - spent some of my time in front of our
house stomping on a log that flared up as I watched it, so after ineffectively dumping my water bottle on it, got a shovel and started
dumping dirt on it.  As I was driving out I saw a fire tanker (Patagonia) and talked with the guy, said he was patrolling for hot
spots, so I told him I had one - hopefully he went up there.  :-|

Rick Weisburg will have some rain barrel business coming his way - we had two 1100g tanks, one is a little caved in, the other collapsed,
and one of the smaller rain barrels against the house is melted, too.

I heard baby birds cheeping (Say's Phoebe) in the nest above our front door... hope mom was around somewhere.

Tried to get some water out of our hot water heater just to go dump on the embers out front but the pressure was just about nil.

Did a real quick driveby of VDO to see our friend's house on Silverthorne - amazed nothing gone there either.

17 June 0836
[Pat Call]

Just a quick note …

If you don't know, the Gov will be at Apache Middle School around 10am this morning.  I'm sure she would appreciate an audience – so everyone is welcome to attend.  I'm heading the other way towards the fire and incident command. 

Burn out operations were conducted through out the night to try to take away the intensity and energy of the fire today.  SO (Sheriff's Office) assessment teams are in Stump Canyon this morning.  We should know by this afternoon what and where the losses were – assuming the fire doesn't get active earlier today than yesterday.

A lot of air activity this morning over the area; the fire teams are geared up and waiting …

Once again, for all those who have asked to be on this email list – I apologize but haven’t had the time to sit down and add them.  I will get to it, though.  Be patient.

...
17 June 0816
[Carrie Saba]
Just got some updates from David to share:

good morning carrie!  yes, electric is still off.  there we fire crews here overnight.  extinguishing hot spots and keeping an eye on things.  water is
about the same lower press but still able to shower - so not too bad.  drove through area and checked on houses - ok.

(fire is in) hunter canyon and north.  don't believe any longer a threat to wh.  be careful coming across moson rd as you could get caught in fire.

David said a couple of neighbors made it in early this morning but Susini's could not get in just now.

I'll let you know if I hear anything else.

16 June 2322
[Pat Call]

Just a quick note for those who are still awake …

The wind has died for the evening. There is no new news. The fire continues to burn.

I was where I shouldn't have been today and came close to boiling paint off a county car.  I won't do that again, but I knew that homes were being burned on the west and east side of Hwy 92 in Stump and Three Canyons/Wild Horse and had to see for myself.  It looked awful; it looked worse than awful.  Puffs of black smoke that the professionals said were homes going up.

We now know tonight that there was virtually no significant damage on the east side of 92 where the fire jumped the road … I still find that hard to believe given what I saw and was in the middle of.  There were a few hours this afternoon where everyone thought that forty or fifty homes had been lost on the east side of 92. 

We did lose homes in Stump Canyon on the west side of 92.  We don’t know the extent of that damage yet.  Depending on conditions, tomorrow the SO's assessment teams will go into that area in order to catalog the losses and let people know – one way or the other – if they still have homes.  When that information is available, I will get it out – as will others.

There are thousands of people tonight – friends and neighbors – who have been evacuated and are sleeping in unfamiliar beds and are worried  … please keep them in your thoughts.

The incident management team is saying that tomorrow could be more of the same as the wind is expected to be high.  Dead Bear Draw, Vista Grande, Miller Canyon … all those areas are in harms way next.

Today has been an emotional roller coaster for so many people but no one has been hurt; no one has been injured – I'm thinking that's the thought to keep as we move through this night and get ready for tomorrow.

I will stay in touch.

Pat.
16 June 2216
[Barbara Grabowski]

It took me a while to find this in wunderground -- but it is wundermap (small option) -- but here is the link -- it overlays google earth with satellite fire detection.  Still some worrisome hot spots.  The map is the latest google earth satelite before we even built our house, but the fire overlay is current.


...

I see the link only takes you to the map....to get to the fire overlay --- use the right most scroll bar and scroll to the bottom.  There is an alphabetical menu.  Look for FIRE.... click that box and then scroll all the way back UP and click GO at the top of the map.  (next to the "full address" search field).  If you put your address there, it will show where fire is still detected.


...
 

thank you to Carole and her daughter for sharing this with us.

Barbara

16 June 1832
[Pat Call]
Woo hoo, indeed!  I was there at 92 when the area went up and I was getting sick cause I knew your guys house was going up.
16 June 1816
[Liza]
Pat - Bob got in to see our house and his - burned right up to the house and the fire hoses were still on the ground - no grass left, trees mostly look intact, rainwater tanks melted, split-rail mostly gone...but we have a house!  WOO HOO!
16 June 1721
[Pat Call]

Getting information out of Fry Fire, Chief Bill Miller, that there are no main structures lost east of Hwy 92!  This is incredibly good news.

Pat.
16 June 1715
[Pat Call]

Just a quick note …

The structure specialists with incident command are beginning to get into the Three Canyons and Wild Horse areas.  Very preliminary reports are suggesting that there has been very little structure damage.  The many puffs of black smoke which are usually indicative of a structure may have been due to some other cause.

Again, this is very preliminary information – but it is also very encouraging.

Pat.
16 June 1700
[Tim Peters]
Hello everyone,
When I heard that the fire was going to cross over HWY 92 I headed out to Palominas Rd via Molson. I got to 3 Canyons but could only get up about a half mile. From my truck bed using binos I watched the wall of fire sweep due east from Hunter Canyon and Stump Canyon down through WH, Vista del Oro and into three canyons on both sides of three canyons road. I was then told to leave and went down to Palominas and watched from another vantage point. I watched for over an hour as it moved into the mesquite wooded areas of Hereford. Wild Horse at this time was completely obscured from the smoke. The fire went through our community but I was not able to see what actual damage was done. By the time I left Hereford Rd and Palominas had a roadblock and could not go back through Molson. Had to get back to SV by taking  Hereford ROad to 92 and then to Bisbee and HWY 90 back. Roadblocks were set up in Bisbee and they were directing people to HWY 90 to get to SV.
I hope the best for all of you.
Tim Peters
16 June 1655
[Carrie Saba]

I am hearing from David that the fire is out inside WH but still burning hot at entrance and north. Damage in WH mainly to the north of Andalusion near Bryerly. Cannot confirm specifics. 

Post office and gas station are burned I have also heard. Fire supposedly 1 mile south of Ramsey & spreading fast.


16 June 1553
[Pat Call]

Just a quick note –

Eyewitnesses on the east end of Three Canyons road are reporting that the fire is as far down as Rio Santiago on the north side of Three Canyons.  An eyewitness retired fire fighter believes that as many 40 or 50 homes on the north side of Three Canyons may be lost.  This is totally unconfirmed at the moment. Again, this situation is very serious and very dynamic.  For those who are being turned around at road blocks – have patience.

On the west side of 92, from just south of Dead Bear Draw to the north, when I was there an hour ago, it was not burning.  Again, as of an hour ago, the majority of the smoke was being generated on the east side of Hwy 92 in the Three Canyons and Wild Horse area and on the west side of Hwy 92 in the Stump Canyon area.

The Board of Supervisors has just passed an emergency declaration and has forwarded it to the Governor for action.
16 June 1512
[Pat Call]

A quick note …

I just got to a computer. 

The fire has jumped the road at Stump Canyon down to Three Canyons.  I was headed towards SV on 92 and was forced to turn around on Hwy 92 where the road goes from four lanes to two lanes by 30 to 40 foot flames on both sides of the road and very intense heat.  Stump and Turkey Track look like they were gone.  It was hard to tell but I think homes in the Wild Horse area were burning from the level of black smoke that was occasionally going up.  I can't verify that, though.

Flames are going down the west end of Three Canyons and Wild Horse in the grassy areas and drainages for sure.  I have no idea if any homes are involved – but it doesn’t look good.

Heavy air tankers and helicopters are working hard in the area.

Road blocks are set up at Hwy 92 and Ramsey Road.

The situation is very intense at the moment with high winds.

Pat.
16 June 1407
[Lexa Garrett]
Dave is going out south.
16 June 1337
[J Tregry]
Confirmed with sources on post.  Wild Horse is under mandatory evacuation, and the sheriff's Dept is not happy that people are returning.  see the Sierra Vista Herald.

Also, as of about 13:30, the fire jumped 92 at the stump canyon / wild horse area. 

16 June 1303
[Rick Dirks]
I don't really know much more than anyone else, but here is what I've learned from a variety of sources. It's unclear whether Wild Horse is under a mandatory evacuation or not.  The published list in the SV Herald (yesterday, I believe) didn't mention Wild Horse at all.....HOWEVER.........the access from Highway 92 remains closed - at latest word from Hereford Road to Coronado Memorial Road (across from the Palominas elementary school).  Some of us had gained access this morning to Wild Horse via the newly bladed road from Welch Place (off of Three Canyons Road) to Andalusian Way, but Sully Frumenti reported that this has now been shut down by a roadblock at Palominas and Three Canyons Road.  So we are effectively cut off until further notice.

Also, for those of you still in Wild Horse and those thinking they may try to go back, the water service within Wild Horse is sporadic at best.  Some homes have water and some don't.  I talked to Liberty water and they are aware of the outages and 1) aren’t sure what caused it, 2) don't know why some homes have water and others don't and 3) when they will be allowed into Wild Horse to fix it.  She said that those that presently have water may lose it as well at some point.......they just don't know at this time.

So it's just a waiting game to see what the fire does and then when we will be allowed back to our homes.  My guess is that when that happens, it will be from the south rather than the north, i.e. coming up Highway 92 from the Palominas side rather than the SV side.

That's all I think I know.  If I hear anything more, I'll let you all know.

Dave Garrett - thanks for keeping an eye on things and all your reports!

Rick Dirks

16 June 1238[Dave Garrett]

I'm glad they put up those signs -- otherwise we may have not known about the fire hazard...

16 June 1209
[Pat Call]

A quick note …

The Cochise County Board of Supervisors will be holding a special meeting today at 3:30pm to declare an emergency relative to the Monument Fire.  This declaration will be sent immediately to the Governor for her to act on.  At this point, specifically what this means in terms of assistance from the state is unclear but the county declaration opens many doors.  As more information becomes available over the next few days relative to this, I will get the information out.

Thanks.

Pat.
16 June 1204
[Pat Call]

Another quick note …

Fry Fire Chief, Bill Miller, sent this to me.  Some very good information relative to your personal evacuation plan … it’s well worth reading if you are in the general area of the fire.
16 June 1159
[Pat Call]

Just a quick note …

For those that use the Hereford post office … it is closed.
16 June 1153
[Pat Call]

A quick note –

Attached is a map from the SV Herald that is useful. 

Also, I’m receiving unverified information out of Fort Huachuca that the SV Police are extending the pre-evac zone north to BST and Cherokee east to Hwy 92.  The county Emergency Services Coordinator says this information is false – completely false.  Someone got their wires crossed.

The attached map is correct!

Pat.
16 June 1145
[Pat Call]

Just a quick note …

Attached is a fire fact sheet from the Incident Command Team.

Pat.
16 June 1133
[Sully Frumenti]

Hello all, just visited my home in Wild Horse from the 3 canyon side. Other than no running water, the house was fine, a little ash, but nothing else.

When leaving down 3 Canyons rd, there was a border patrol blockade near Palominas Rd. telling me they would not allow me to reenter.  So that access is closed.

Sully
16 June 1130
[Pat Call]

Just a quick note …

I apologize for not getting more information out lately – things have been hectic over the last day and a half.  I’ve just now had a chance to sit down in front of a computer so I will try to push some information out now.

Evacuation pre-staging is going on right now south of Ramsey Road, down to one mile east of Hwy 92 and the entire south side of Ramsey Canyon.  This is pre-staging only – not evacuation orders.  This is purely precautionary at this point.  By the way, to clarify … mandatory evacuation doesn’t mean will be dragged out of your house if you don’t leave voluntarily.  No one can make you leave your home but, if you don’t, and things go bad, there may not be help available to you.  Also, if you are in a ‘mandatory evacuation’ area, once you leave the area you won’t be able to get back in until the order is lifted.

If you have left your home and can’t get back in, you can call the SO’s office – 432-9500 – for the latest information as to when you can return.  I will also be sending out that information when it becomes available.  There was some talk this morning at incident command about letting residents back into the Ash Canyon area by this weekend – but those discussions are very preliminary at this point.

Also, if you have a home in Ash Canyon and don’t know its condition, you can go to the Evac center a Palominas school for the information. 

Road blocks are up on Hwy 92 at the post office in Hereford going south and at Coronado Memorial and Hwy 92 if your are heading north. 

There will be another public meeting at the Windemere tonight at 6pm.  A lot of up to date information is put out at these meeting.  If you are in the general area of the fire – you might want to go.

Thanks.

Pat.
16 June 1124
[Tom Mosher]
NWS shows the wind is starting earlier today than yesterday. Thanks for posting the photos. The area looks well defended. Inciweb says that crews spent the night mopping up hot-spots east of the highway, and will re-position today west of the highway toward the canyons. Looks like they want to keep it from getting west of the highway again. They're focusing on structure protection in the canyons to the north, and keep adding crews.
16 June 0901[Liza Weissler]

We were going to do same but there were guys out there already w/ equipment so we decided not to getin the way...went overland hiking b/t Mundts and Birnbaums thru the wash to our house. Saw fire break that was cut on west side of our property...will send photos.

16 June 0851[Shelley Dirks]

Rick went in early this morning also. He drove in through the wash between Three Canyons & Wild Horse...the property next to the wall. ...Anyway, he's also going out that same 'temporary' road going over the wash.

16 June 0803
[Liza Weissler]
We're in our house right now - just looking around and grabbing a couple things, leaving now. Low water as you say. Very smoky.
16 June 0800
[Dave Garrett]

I drove throughout WH at 6:45 this morning – no change, all houses appear in good shape and not tampered with. Wind is stronger this morning out of the south, which has helped clear the smoke from our area.  Fire appears to be in Hunter Canyon area at this time and not threatening to WH.   I have noticed lower water pressure at the house, and have spoke with another resident who indicated their pressure was at a trickle.  So this may be an issue in moving back into the homes.  I’ll try to inquire as to the water status and what the issue may be.   Possibly it’s  intentional diversion to fire fighting infrastructure and not a water capacity issue. 

DG

14 June 1454
[Pat Call]

Another quick note ..

 
SSVEC is cutting power from Janice Drive all the way to Palominas and they are worried that the fire may jump the Highway.  Jumping the Highway is speculation at this point.

 
Thanks.

Pat.


14 June 1421

I just received the information below from the CCSO. This evacuation order should trigger the closure of Hwy 92.


Pat

Emergency evacuation of Ash Canyon has begun. Once cleared efforts will be made to ensure that Mountain View and Stone Ridge are clear. Once this is completed deputies will move to Turkey Track, Stump Canyon and Hunter Canyon to advise residents to make preparations.

Ken Buckner, Deputy Commander  

Cochise County Sheriff's Office     

14 June 1412

[Pat Call]
A not so quick note …

 A lot has been happening relative to the Monument Fire.  I spent most of the morning with the incident command group at Valley View School.  A very impressive group of people are working very hard to deal with this fire.  I also had an opportunity to drive up past the ranger station on Coronado Memorial Road and see everything first hand. 

 SSVEC is in the area with what looks like an army of people.  It is obvious that they are working very hard to get power resorted to the homes in the area.  They have a lot of work to do – there are a lot of burned utility poles in the area.

 Speaking of the homes, it is nothing short of amazing to see homes standing, untouched, surrounded by scorched earth.  It is a vivid testimony to the work of the firefighters.  It is also a testimony to those residents who were smart enough to think about fire prevention and created areas around their homes that made defending them easier.  Again, so far, no structures (other than a barn and a garage) have been burned.

 As of noon today, Coronado Memorial Road was opened up as far as the entrance to the Monument area.  Residents who live along that road can now drive home – or leave home and be allowed to return.  There doesn’t appear to be any fire south of the border.  Burnouts are being conducted in the Monument area on the north side of the road to clear the area of combustible fuel.  The fire itself, however, is still very active – and changing fast.

 This morning at 10am there was talk about allowing residents of Mountain View and Ash Canyon to return to their homes with the caveat that if evacuation orders were given – they would need to leave in minutes, not hours.  At that time, the fire had not crested the ridge above Ash and there was hope that they could hold the ridgeline.  I just heard from Fry Fire Chief, Bill Miller, that the fire crested the ridge and was moving down Ash Canyon.  If this is the case, Hwy 92 will most likely be closed from Hereford Road east and traffic rerouted to Palominas because firefighting equipment will be staging on the highway to address the fire.

 … This just in … the Sheriff’s office has been put on standby to evacuate Ash Canyon on an emergency basis.  The fire has reached the “bottom” and is being hammered hard by helicopter assaults. Hwy 92 is not closed – yet.

 Very quickly, as I want to get this info out, this evening at 6pm, Windemere Hotel, there will be a public meeting put on by the Incident Commander and others.  They will be available for questions.  If this fire has affected you or if you’re worried that it might affect you, you should attend.  I expect to be there.

 I’ll continue to keep you informed.  For those of you that are forwarding these emails, please continue to do so.  I’ve had no time to add all the requests I’ve received to be on this email notification list. 

 
Thanks.

Pat.  

13 June 2234
[Forwarded by Pat Call]

National Park Service / Cochise County Sheriff’s Office

Monument Fire

 

Coronado National Memorial/Coronado National Forest

Type 3 Incident Command

Incident Commander: Dennis Haygood

Fire Information: Denise Schultz             520-678-6748      

Fire Information Type 1 Team: Trina             406-208-0934      

Evacuation Information: Carol Capas 520-432-9504/520-559-4920

 

Release Date: June 13, 2011            9:00 p.m. 

Fire Facts:

Date Started: June 12, 2011 @1:09 p.m.

Location: Coronado National Memorial south of Sierra Vista Arizona

Size:  3700 acres on the U.S. side/additional acreage in Mexico undetermined size

Percent Contained: Not available at this time

Injures: None reported as of this time

Cause: Not yet determined

Estimated Containment Date: Not yet established

Total Structures Threatened: 100 (75 residential / 25 outbuildings)

Total Structures Destroyed: 2  (one garage / one barn)

 

Number of Personnel:  250

Fire Agencies: Palominas FD/Fry FD/Bisbee FD/Huachuca City FD/Mescal-J6 FD/Sierra Vista FD/Sonoita-Elgin FD/PatagoniaFD/BLM/Tubac FD/Black Hills/Ft Grant Type II/Phoenix Fire Task Force/ Sahuaro Burn Module/RioRico/Granite Mountain/ Game & Fish Department/Green Valley FD/ State Forestry Division/ Heavy air support with air tankers and helicopters being utilized throughout the day. Heavy Air Tankers have been grounded due to strong winds, however two Type 1 helicopters and two Type 2 helicopters are continuing the flight mission to provide air support-fire retardant measures. Helicopters are working under International Agreement with the United States to cross up to ten miles into Mexico to fight fires.

 

Law Enforcement Agencies:

Cochise County Sheriff’s Office / National Park Service/ U.S. Border Patrol / U.S. Forest Service / AZ DPS

 

 

Fire Update:

Northern Rockies Incident Management Team with Incident Commander Greg Poncin on scene and will be assuming command at 6:00 a.m. on Tuesday June 14, 2011. Forecast in area, winds breezy with significant gusts causing heavy smoke in the Palominas Valley. Anyone with breathing problems are advised to shelter in-doors and only use Swamp Coolers as necessary, due to swamp cooling drawing in outside air versus air conditioning re-circulating indoor air. Try to use fans to circulate interior air when possible.

 

Fire is active along northern edge and firefighters are completing burnout operations between structures and the fire edge, on the northeast edge, and along Coronado Memorial Road. Crews were successful today in mopping up hotspots and protecting structures. Structure protection was also completed early in the day with heavy air tankers which were grounded late morning due to wind conditions, and heavy helicopters using extensive water drops. Firefighters will continue to work on the fire throughout the night.

 

Electric power is still out from Ash Canyon back to Coronado Memorial. Sulpher Springs Valley Electric Company will be attempting to assess the power poles and lines in the area of Ash Canyon to Coronado Memorial Road, several of which have been damaged. This process will take several days to complete, and there are an undetermined number of homes without power.

 

Operations will continue tomorrow with the same approach using aviation when possible to build the fireline.

 

Closures/Advisories/Evacuations:

Areas to the east of Coronado Memorial Road are open and residents are allowed to return. All areas from and including Coronado Memorial Road west and north to Ash Canyon south of Highway 92 still remain under evacuation mandates and will remain so until at least noon on Tuesday June 14, 2011.

 

Residents are encouraged to remain as calm as possible and follow all law enforcement and fire personnel instructions. There is currently no evacuation shelter in place for this incident.

 

Anyone needing assistance with animal evacuations (ANY animals to include livestock, horses, rabbits, goats, pigs, domestic animals, etc…) can call Care 4 the Horses at             520-559-2224      .  They will have volunteers standing by to assist with this effort.

 

Important Fire Information will be provided in a Public Fire Information Meeting that is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. at the Windemere Hotel and Conference Center, 2047 S Highway 92, Sierra Vista, Arizona on 14, 2011.


13 June 1653
[Pat Call]

Just a quick note …

 
The incident management team met approximately an hour and a half ago. 

 
The current information has the evacuation orders continuing to stand for Ash Canyon and east along the west side of Hwy 92 to Coronado Memorial Road.   As mentioned earlier, residents east of Coronado Memorial Road to Kings Ranch had the evacuation restrictions lifted last evening.  Current evacuation orders and road closures are expected to remain in effect until at least tomorrow noon – possibly longer depending on conditions.

 
Residents who live along Coronado Memorial Road are being allowed to walk to their homes from Hwy 92 – but they aren't being allowed to drive their cars to their homes.  I've been trying to get an explanation as why residents are allowed to walk but not drive.  So far the only explanation I've been able to get is that the incident commander has issued that order.  I'm still trying to follow up.

 
The fire is at the top of Ash Canyon but has not crested the ridge line into Ash at this time.  There is a very active fire just over the border which is producing the majority of smoke at this time.  Apparently the Monument fire jumped back into Mexico.  Helicopters are right now fighting that fire over the border.  The thinking is that it is better to deal with that fire now rather than let it burn to the east and hop back across the border to the US side somewhere between the mountains and the river.  There doesn't appear to be any efforts on the Mexican side to deal with the fire – but that is only speculation as of right now.

 
There are occasional hot spots flaring up at the end of Coronado Memorial Road by the Brown Ranch – "flare ups in the black area…" as it was relayed to me.

 
SSVEC is in the area trying to establish power as soon as possible.

 
I've heard from a number of residents that have said it was "miraculous" their homes didn't burn down.  The fire literally was within feet of their homes.  Thanks to the incredible efforts of firefighters, no residences have been burned.  So far the only reports of structure fire have been a garage and a barn.

 
I need to emphasize that the above information is as of this writing; obviously conditions can change quickly in this situation. 

 
If you have emailed me asking to be put on my email list, please bear with me.  It will likely not be until later this week that I will have time to do it.

 
I will continue to relay information when/if I receive it.

 
Thanks.

Pat.


12 June 2035
[Pat Call]

A quick clarification …

 
Coronado Memorial Road east
to Kings Ranch Road – the evacuation has been lifted.  BUT … Coronado Memorial Road itself is still closed!  It will remain closed until further notice.

 
Pat.


12 June 2030
[Pat Call]

Just a brief note …

 
As of 8:30 this evening:

 
Residents who live east of Coronado Memorial to Kings Ranch on the south side of Hwy 92 can go home – if they evacuated earlier.  From Coronado Memorial north along the south/west side of Hwy 92, the evacuation remains in effect only to Ash Canyon. 

 
Hwy 92 will reopen shortly and will remain open unless otherwise notified (the fire shifts or smoke gets really bad).

 
The Forest Service remains 100% committed overnight to protecting the urban interface.

 
So, the night ends with some good news after a long afternoon and evening of concern.  The danger isn't over but thanks to an amazing effort by some amazing folks, a lot of people will be sleeping easier.  For those who still are still at risk, our thoughts are with you.

 
Just a bookkeeping note … If you have contacted me asking to be on my mailing list - I will get you on sometime in the next few days but there has been no time to update my email lists this evening.  Hopefully your friends will continue to forward my emails.  This will be my last email for today. 

Thanks.

Pat.


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