TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Tucson Fire Department responded to 177 calls—including 95 fire-related calls—between 7 p.m. on the Fourth of July and 7 a.m. the following morning.
From Saturday evening to Sunday morning TFD responded to:
- Fire, nature unknown: 35
- Dumpster/refuse: 22
- Vegetation or brush fires: 17
- House fires (apartments, mobile, house (one-story): 3
- Grill/propane tank fire: 1
- Outdoor fire (tree, pole, fence): 8
- Other fires (car): 2.
Tucson Fire Chief Sharon McDonough says many of the weekend's fires started the same way.
"Fireworks. A little dry spark just catches a dry piece of brush and then that takes off," she said.
She adds that illegal fireworks are becoming more and more popular.
"They're everywhere and we had units running across town away from their first two areas because of the trickle down. When one unit is out on a certain call, then the next closest unit takes its place. So, we had units way out of their areas responding to some of these calls," said McDonough.
Saturday night's largest brush fire on the Southside threatened nearby homes. Last year, there was a fire in the same area off South Treat Avenue and East 36th Street.
READ MORE: Fireworks cause large brush fire near South Treat and East 36th
As firefighters were putting out fires this weekend, McDonough says TFD was also dealing with something else—staffing.
"We did have several units shut down because of staffing the night. So, the units that were available to the system were even busier than normal," said McDonough.
The added demand pushed the department's call load about 60% higher than normal. McDonough says 113 calls in 12 hours is average; this weekend, from Saturday, July 4, through Sunday morning, the department had 177 calls.
"When they're stretched thin, it means they're getting a delay to the next life-threatening critical emergency and that doesn't feel good. When we know if we've gotten there just a little sooner, could we have had a more positive outcome--that weighs heavy on the crew," she said.
McDonough urges people to celebrate holidays responsibly so crews are available for emergencies.
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Jacqueline Aguilar is a multimedia journalist at KGUN 9. Born and raised in Yuma, AZ., she is no stranger to the unforgiving Arizona heat. Now this U of A wildcat is excited to be back in Tucson and is looking forward to involving herself in the community. Share your story ideas with Jacqueline by emailing jacqueline.aguilar@kgun9.com or connecting on Facebook, Instagram or X.
