By Naomi Hatch Personnel from the Taylor-Snowflake Fire & Medical Department (TSFMD) responded to the site of a controlled burn that got out of control just after 4 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 20, just past the “Y” on Highway 277. “The property owner had a burn permit and was burning what appeared to be trash in a pit. The fire extended to the near-by combustible materials,” Assistant Fire Chief Willie Nelson explained. Upon arrival, Nelson said they found, “There were stacks of pallets, a pile of lumber, tires and miscellaneous debris burning, and the fire had extended to the vegetation and brush south of the property.” Light winds caused the fire to spread, covering approximately 50 acres. TSFMD utilized two brush trucks, two 3,000-gallon water tenders, an ambulance and a command vehicle at the fire. Heber-Overgaard assisted with a brush truck and water tender. “The fire spread into state land, and we eventually got the Escudilla crew out of St. Johns to respond,” said Nelson. Command was turned over to the state. TSFMD worked with the Escudilla crew until Monday afternoon to extinguish the fire. Because the fire was near Bum Heel Ranch Road, it was named the Bum Heel fire, and was the first wildland fire Taylor-Snowflake has responded to this year. It was the fifth for the Escudilla crew. “The grass and brush grew with all the moisture we got during the winter, but is now dry and readily burns,” said Nelson. TSFMD officials ask area residents to clear the vegetation from around their houses, and to use extreme caution when using anything capable of starting a fire.
