Historic Arizona landmark wrapped in 'foil' in effort to save it from Crooks wildfire

A historic landmark in the Prescott National Forest was wrapped with a heat-resistant foil this week to protect it from an Arizona wildfire.

As of Friday, a forest official said the Crooks Fire hasn’t moved closer to the Palace Station Historic Stagecoach Stop Cabin in a couple of days, which is good news for the historic landmark.

The wildland firefighters were able to wrap the entire wooden structure with a tinfoil-like material.

Along with wrapping the Palace Station, firefighters worked on creating defensible space around the cabin by clearing brush and vegetation in the area.

In a community meeting Thursday night, forest officials spoke about protecting Palace Station as it is their responsibility to protect it.

Prescott NF

“We have, as land managers, special responsibility for protecting that cabin. And I say cabin because we're actually in the process of transitioning Palace Station into a cabin rental that the public can actually reserve and camp up there,” said one official.

According to archives from the National Register of Historic Places, Palace Station has been a landmark with a variety of different uses over the years.

National Register of Historic Places archive

It was built around 1873 as a family home before it became an overnight stagecoach stop for travelers. It was used as such until 1910.

Archives say it also had mining and military use, as well as for cattle operations.

Weather- and age-related damage have been repaired over the years in order to retain the structure.

It’s believed to be “one of the oldest structures built by Anglo settlers in Arizona,” according to documents.

As of Saturday, April 30, the Crooks Fire, which started on April 18, has burned more than 9,000 acres and is 38% contained.

Officials recently lifted some evacuations in the area as they continue to make progress in fighting the blaze.