BY LINDA BENTLEY | jUNE 29, 2011
Accident sparks small brush fire at 74th Street and Highland Road
Rural/Metro Fire got a quick jump on a brush fire at 73rd Street and Highland Road on Thursday afternoon that was accidentally started when the driver of a box truck didn’t clear a power line while making a U-turn and snapped the power pole.
Photo by Don Sorchych
CAVE CREEK – Rural/Metro Fire Chief John Kraetz said light wind and quick response was on their side Thursday afternoon, preventing a brush fire that started at 73rd Street and Highland Road from burning more than about a quarter acre.
According to Town Marshal Adam Stein, the driver of a box truck was making a U-turn and drove off the road to make the turn, not noticing the power line overhead, which was lower than his truck.
When his truck caught the power line, it snapped the pole and the downed line sparked the fire.
Stein said the owners of the property called from Grand Junction, Colo. after having received a phone call about the fire. They told Stein they recently purchased their home and hadn’t even moved in yet.
According to Kraetz, people in the Cave Creek area seem to be very good at keeping dry brush away from their homes, and said he didn’t know if they did it consciously or unconsciously.
In any event, he said doing so lessens the chances of structure fires and prevents fires from spreading into the forest by minimizing fuel.
Bottom photo courtesy Adam Stein
