Fire in Crown King....

[Dschur]

The news just reported that the town of Crown King has been evacuated due to a forest fire burning in the area. There has been one building burned. Also they reported that the fire looks to be caused by lost hikers...... Channel 3 news....

[chumley]

I haven't seen any news on this yet, but if so, I hope they can get it contained quickly. CK is one of the most vulnerable spots in the state right now, with a tremendous amount of fuel as a result of beetle infestation and very heavy undergrowth. There hasn't been a fire up there for years and little to no thinning projects either. That town is in such a geographic bullseye it's difficult to defend.

[chumley]

AZCentral reports that the fire is about 3 miles south of CK, and northeast of Lane Mtn ... which puts it in the area between Horsethief Lake and CK, though closer to the lake than to town. This is a very rugged area, and probably not defendable by ground crews.

Of course until I see an actual fire map, I wouldn't put too much weight on the location. The Prescott paper says its 1 mile from CK and 125 acres.

[joebartels]

Sounds like hikers lost in the Poland Creek vicinity.

It's unfortunate we can bomb a country half way around the world at the drop of a pin, but can't drop fire retardant at night in the good ol' USA. BTW, what kind of idiot lights a rescue fire in Arizona in June

[Dschur]

MS Chedisky did too and got away with it even tho she it up on the side of a hill.....

[Davis2001r6]

I saw it coming down I-17 this afternoon, it was going pretty good and was on the west side of the ridge from the looks of it on the highway. You could see a hint of orange on the ridge so it was pretty high up.

[chumley]

This all goes to preparedness. From what I've read so far, there were a group of five hikers and one separated from the group. That one started a signal fire. Officials saw the fire (at 11:15PM Sat.) but decided to wait until morning to send in SAR. By then the fire was uncontrollable.

This is a very rugged area, but it seems like the lost hiker was within one mile of a lake and two campgrounds plus some private land and cabins, not to mention a reasonably-well traveled forest road. I sure hope we find out he was in some kind of medical emergency, and not just "lost". If the hiker was physically able, it would have been relatively easy to head south or west until he hit the road.

And I agree with Joe ... who lights a fire here in June? You had better be in a seriously life-threatening situation! It's no colder than 50 degrees at night. Curl up and get some sleep if you can't get your bearings and keep hiking. Move out first thing in the morning.

[JoelHazelton]

My parents actually drove to Crown King this morning, not knowing about the fire, and after romping over an apparently hellish and white-knuckle Senator highway (according to my dad), they were turned back by the Sheriff once they reached the Crown King vicinity. Bummer, he's been talking about wanting to take a trip there for a couple years now.

[djui5]

Well I hope everyone learns a lesson here! That is a hell of a signal fire

[mkreutzer1988]

I just found a map which shows where fires have been detected and its appears theres no hope for the surrounding area of Crown King. They've been focusing all their attention on saving the structures nearby the town, which means my favorite hiking area (Algonquin Trail) will mosty likely be burned completely. The big dipper and horsethief basin used to be a close-by retreat up in the woods for hikers down in phoenix, I guess someplace else will have to do for a few years...Hope everyone is ok though and no one else loses their house.

How could you be prepared enough to light a fire, and not be able to find your way through a couple of miles of forest to the nearest road, house, campsite, or town? Im assuming he didnt start a fire by rubbing some sticks together, so he must of had some matches or a lighter, but not a map+compass/GPS? Obviously he was unprepared and unfamiliar with the techniques that should be used when lost. Well at least he didnt have to spend a few nights in the cold? Now he just has to deal with the guilt of burning down 7 structures and 5,000+ acres (so far). Well at least the lost person is now sleeping in their warm house, while firefighters are risking their lives and homeowners are questioning whether or not they will ever see their house and belongings ever again.

I've never been lost myself and I believe its mostly because I constantly watch my surroundings. I dont understand how you can get lost unless your traveling 10+ miles through inhabited areas.

[chumley]

I believe this may be the map you are referring to. The reports I've heard lately seem to have the Horsethief Basin more in the crosshairs than town, but the early monsoon winds are erratic and unpredictable, so nothing is safe yet.

[azbackpackr]

I heard that the Forest Service did do a major treatment last year all around the village of Crown King, and many people also did treatments around their homes up there. Hopefully that will save the town.

That type of forest thinning would have probably saved a lot of Summerhaven.

[JoelHazelton]

Heard this morning that the fire is now 75% contained and everybody gets to go home to Crown King.

On Friday I went to hike the Arrastra Creek Trail off the Senator Highway to do a bit of scouting for a future backpack trip on Longfellow Ridge, and fr69 (which I was going to take to avoid most of the Senator highway) was closed out of Mayer! I was surprised, as I didn't expect the roads to be closed that far N/E. Kind of ruined the day, but oh well. Too bad the Poland Creek area will be all fire damaged now; I never made it out there.

[chumley]

Perhaps if punishments were a bit more serious, fewer idiots would do #$%& like this?

Yuma man gets probation for Crown King fire
Jul. 14, 2010 01:35 PM
Associated Press

PRESCOTT - A Yuma man has been sentenced to five years' probation and 150 hours of community service for setting a June 2008 fire near Crown King that forced the evacuation of the mountain town north of Phoenix.

David Alexander Cygan was also ordered by U.S. Magistrate Judge David K. Duncan at Monday's sentencing not to enter any U.S. forest, park or wilderness area unless he is accompanied by a responsible adult.

Prosecutors said the 52-year-old Cygan lit an illegal signal fire while he was lost south of Crown King. It turned into the Lane 2 wildfire.

The fire burned about 15 square miles around Crown King and destroyed five homes, one commercial structure and 12 other buildings. More than a hundred residents were forced to flee.

[big_load]

When I saw the words "responsible adult", I thought he must be a minor. I don't recall seeing such a provision for a man his age before.

[paulhubbard]

Saw the destruction caused by this person first hand http://hikearizona.com/photoset.php?ID=11771 over the July 4th weekend.