PARADISE VALLEY, AZ — Almost a week after a large fire took out a home in Paradise Valley, ABC15 wanted to look into how firefighters are protecting homes close to the mountains in the Valley.
Firefighters were able to contain a house fire that burned on Wednesday in Paradise Valley. Another major concern for neighborhoods like that one is all the dry vegetation and the lack of rainfall we have all seen.
“I was at my house in the front yard, and I saw this smoke coming up from this side of Mummy Mountain. And I thought, oh my gosh, there’s a fire over there,” said Laurel Bushman, who lives nearby
Neighbors on Monday still had a glimpse of the aftermath of what happened, saying they continue thinking about what could happen to their own home.
“Any time there is a fire, it’s really frighting,” said Bushman. “You hope that it can be put out quickly and you hope that the sparks aren’t going to go somewhere else and create it.”
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“As the temperature increases — so above 100º and below 15% humidity — those fire risks are elevated,” said Captain Todd Keller of the Phoenix Fire Department.
Capt. Keller says their crews are ready for wildland firefighting. Their main focus: where urban developments overlap with natural environments – it is called the Wildland-Urban Interface. Officials are looking at prevention tactics, fuel reduction programs and emergency response.
To prevent its spread, the fire department’s new deployment plan surges more resources to a WUI fire quicker, much like what happened in Paradise Valley.
They have also got the water.
“There is over 57,000 fire hydrants that cover the entire City of Phoenix. There’s 7,000 miles of water pipes,” said Keller.
Urban Maricopa County has the fewest communities at wildfire risk, but parts of Scottsdale and Avondale do have a higher risk, with more homes that could be directly or indirectly impacted.
Do not be left high and dry: officials advise to always be ready to evacuate if there is a fire and always have a 30-foot defensible space around your property.
