Above: Crosses commemorate the locations where five of six firefighters lost their lives during the Dude Fire.
Below: Recovery is evident in the area devastated by the Dude Fire 20 years ago.
By Matt Brabb
Connection Editor
A forest recovers slowly, but it does recover.
Almost 20 years have passed since the heart of the largest stand of Ponderosa Pine was lost to an inferno - an area made famous when Zane Grey set his novel “Under the Tonto Rim” there.
The fire was a calamity unlike any before seen by Rim Country residents. The small community of Bonita Creek Estates was almost entirely consumed, and less than a mile from there, six firefighters lost their lives in a futile attempt to outrun the flames. The original Zane Grey Cabin was also lost in the fire.
Beginning in June at the Rim Country Museum, located in Green Valley Park, visitors will have the opportunity to educate themselves about the notorious Dude Fire. A new exhibit, which honors the men and women who fought the fire, is now on display. This month marks the 20th anniversary of the lightning caused fire that broke out on June 25, 1990.
The exhibit contains information on the fire, the rebuilding in its aftermath, general forest health, and a special section for children. There is also a poignant video that includes a first hand account by one of the survivors who was at the scene at which several firefighters lost their lives.
The site of the Dude Fire today is a testament to the recuperative power of nature. The area abounds with Manzanita and Chaparral. The Ponderosa Pine trees that fell victim to the fire have long since fallen and rotted away. Their offspring are barely six to 10 feet tall, and it may be another 30 years before the stately Ponderosa again dominate the area as they did before June of 1990.
Though the forest has undergone a rebirth, the fire will always be known for the tragic loss of life suffered during the fight, and the changes to techniques used to fight wildfires resulting from mistakes made during the fire.
Sandra Bachman, James Denny, Curtis Springfield, James Ellis, Joseph Chacon, and Alex Contreras all lost their lives while retreating from the fire, when their escape route was cut off and they were forced to clamber up Walk Moore Canyon instead of down it, toward safety on the Control Road.
When it became apparent that they would be unable to outrun the flames, they deployed their personal shelters and tried to wait out the fire. Of the eleven firefighters who made the attempt, only five survived. Six crosses along a short hike up the canyon denote the locations where they perished.
In the official accident investigation report, several factors were noted that contributed to the tragedy. The use of multiple undesignated frequencies resulted in a lack of communication, a division supervisor did not understand that he had responsibility for the crews from which the fatalities occurred, and though escape routes were discussed and understood, safety zones were not designated or developed prior to the entrapment of the firefighters.
The Forest Service developed the LCES (lookouts, communication, escape routes, and safety zones) from experience gained from the Dude Fire. At least two escape routes to a safety zone must now be identified from an area in which firefighters actively battle flames.
The Dude Fire was significant in one other respect. It served notice that the manner in which the Forest Service had protected its trees had created virtual tinderboxes in our National Forests.
In the late 1800’s, there were approximately 20-24 trees per acre in the forest. Due to efforts to suppress fires over the last century, that number now stands at some 800 trees per acre. With all that fuel at its disposal, it is little wonder that when a fire gets going, it now consumes an unprecedented amount of territory.
The lessons of the Dude Fire are many. But perhaps the greatest and most undeniable is that life goes on. If you doubt it, take a trip down the Control Road and spend some time among the youthful trees “Under the Tonto Rim.” Among the snags that bear witness to the devastation from 20 years ago, the Tonto National Forest is very much alive. Enjoy it.
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