Payson Roundup

Wild Fire gallery

Dripping Springs Fire photos April 29, 2009

The pictures in this gallery are contributions from our readers and Max Foster, a Roundup reporter. Residents of the tiny mountain hamlet of Pine almost had their worst fears realized Monday when the Dripping Springs wildfire burned to within 400 yards of an exclusive subdivision. No evacuations took place. Although the blaze has not been contained, a combination of cool temperatures, low winds and the suppression efforts of a Type 2 firefighting crew appears to have saved Pine from turning into the raging inferno many predicted would someday happen. The concern of firefighters today is that winds could kick up, causing “a potential for roll out,” said U.S. Forest Service spokesperson Karen Smith. During the height of the blaze, the heavy underbrush was putting up a good deal of thick, white smoke which hampered aircraft operations, said firefighters at the scene. The fire-retardant jell bombers were led over the blaze by a smaller two-engine aircraft that apparently plotted drop locations on the northwest edge of the fire where it peaked at the top of the Rim. Excerpt from a story written by Max Foster.