Sawmill Fire (2017)
Sawmill Fire | |
---|---|
Date(s) | April 23–30, 2017 |
Location | Pima County, Arizona, US |
Coordinates | 31°46′55″N 110°50′31″W / 31.782°N 110.842°W |
Statistics | |
Burned area | 46,991 acres (19,017 ha; 73.423 sq mi) |
Impacts | |
Damage | $8.2 million (equivalent to $10.2 million in 2023) |
Ignition | |
Cause | Explosion at gender reveal party |
Map | |
The Sawmill Fire was a wildfire that burned 46,991 acres (190 km2) in the U.S. state of Arizona in April 2017. The fire was caused by the detonation of a target packed with Tannerite at a gender reveal party in the Coronado National Forest. No injuries or fatalities resulted from the fire, nor were any buildings destroyed, though the fire did come close to the historic Empire Ranch, a National Register of Historic Places property. Over 800 personnel from various federal, state, and local agencies and organizations worked to contain and then extinguish the Sawmill Fire at a cost of $8.2 million (equivalent to $10.2 million in 2023).
The fire was started by accident on April 23, 2017, by Dennis Dickey, an off-duty
Background
Wildfires are a natural part of the ecological cycle of the Southwestern United States.[1]: 3–6 The Sawmill Fire was one of 2,321 wildfires that burned 429,564 acres (173,838 ha) in Arizona in 2017.[2] Arizona State Forester Jeff Whitney expected a typical season in the state's northern forests but one with high fire potential in the state's southern grasslands because of high temperatures, low humidity, and an abundance of fuels.[3] By August 2017, wildfires had burned the most amount of land since the 2011 season.[4]
Cause
The fire began at around 11 am (
Fire
At the time the Sawmill Fire began, a fire warning for the area from the
As the fire continued to spread, about 100 area residents were evacuated and 100 others east of Route 83 received pre-evacuation notices.
By 11:00 am (MST) April 27,
Aftermath
The Sawmill Fire burned 46,991 acres (19,017 ha) over 11 days,[38]: 7 growing to its greatest extent on April 29,[5][39] and cost $8.2 million (equivalent to $10.2 million in 2023[33]) to suppress.[38]: 7 [5] The state-owned Santa Rita Experimental Range and Wildlife Area and the Las Cienegas National Conservation Area (LCNCA), managed by the Bureau of Land Management, made up most of the burned area;[13][40] 28% of the LCNCA, roughly 12,000 acres (4,900 ha), was burned and was closed from April 28 to May 23.[41][42] Of the total area burned, about a third of it suffered total foliage mortality, concentrated in the west. 412 people were evacuated,[38]: 7 but there were no fatalities, serious injuries, or buildings destroyed.[12][13] After repairs to Route 83, it reopened in early May 2017.[35][43]
Legal action against Dickey
The investigation and prosecution of the Sawmill Fire were turned over to the
In July 2017, lawmakers in Pima County proposed the ban of the possession, creation, and distribution of explosive targets in response to the Sawmill Fire and other fires caused by exploding targets.[50] Footage of Dickey shooting the target became public when, in November 2018,[9] the Arizona Daily Star acquired it via a Freedom of Information Act request.[11][51] The video brought the fire back into the public consciousness, resulting in both the party itself and the concept of gender reveal parties being mocked online.[52][53][54] The Sawmill Fire was the first wildfire known to be ignited by a gender reveal party,[47] but was not the last, as it was followed in 2020 by the El Dorado Fire in California, which sparked more public outrage.[55][56][57]
References
- ISBN 9780816534487.
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- ^ U.S. Forest Service. Archived from the originalon November 29, 2018. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
- ^ Green Valley News. Archivedfrom the original on July 27, 2021. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
- ^ a b Gomez, Melissa (October 1, 2018). "Border Patrol Agent's Gender-Reveal Party Sparked Arizona Fire, Lawyer Says". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 28, 2021. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
- ^ a b c d Diaz, Andrea (November 28, 2018). "Officials release video from gender reveal party that ignited a 47,000-acre wildfire". CNN. Archived from the original on July 28, 2021. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
- ^ a b c Rosenblatt, Kalhan (November 27, 2018). "U.S. Forest Service releases video of Arizona gender reveal that sparked $8 million Sawmill Fire". NBC. Archived from the original on July 27, 2021. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
- ^ Davis, Tony (November 26, 2018). "Video shows explosion at border agent's gender-reveal party that sparked Arizona wildfire". Arizona Daily Star. Archived from the original on July 27, 2021. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
- ^ a b Davis, Tony (December 7, 2018). "Longer video shows missed shots before 'gender reveal' target was hit, sparking wildfire". Arizona Daily Star. Archived from the original on July 27, 2021. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
- ^ a b c d Prendergast, Curt (October 5, 2018). "Border agent to pay $220K for Tucson-area wildfire sparked at gender-reveal party". Arizona Daily Star. Archived from the original on June 16, 2020. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e Smith, Kim (September 29, 2018). "BP agent on hook for $8.2 million in Sawmill Fire". Green Valley News. Archived from the original on July 27, 2021. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
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- ^ Smith, Kim; Shearer, Dan (April 25, 2017). "Sources: Target shooter sparked Sawmill Fire; 22,000 acres burned so far". Green Valley News. Archived from the original on July 29, 2021. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
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- ^ "American Red Cross Closes Both Sawmill Fire Shelters". Arizona Emergency Information Network. State of Arizona. April 29, 2017. Archived from the original on May 1, 2017. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
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- ^ a b "Red Flag Warning will return to the Sawmill Fire on Thursday". Arizona Emergency Information Network. State of Arizona. April 26, 2017. Archived from the original on April 28, 2017. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
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- ^ Kreutz, Douglas (October 29, 2017). "Learn how the historic Empire Ranch survived a raging wildfire". Arizona Daily Star. Archived from the original on July 27, 2021. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
- ^ a b c "Arizona Highway 83 reopens through the Sawmill Fire area". Arizona Emergency Information Network. State of Arizona. April 27, 2017. Archived from the original on April 29, 2017. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
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- ^ "Increased containment despite strong winds". InciWeb. U.S. Forest Service. April 29, 2017. Archived from the original on May 21, 2017. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
- ^ a b "Excellent progress continues on the Sawmill Fire". InciWeb. U.S. Forest Service. April 30, 2017. Archived from the original on August 9, 2017. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
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