It's been 35 years since the Dude Fire ravaged the Payson area, taking the lives of six members from the Perryville Fire Crew on Wednesday, 1990. The blaze, which was triggered by a strike of lightning, expanded from 5 acres to nearly 24,000 across several national forests—Tonto, Coconino, and Apache-Sitgreaves—before being contained. In an event to remember the tragedy and honor the fallen firefighters, the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management, the U.S. Forest Service, and community residents convened at the Dude Fire Memorial in Bonita Creek Estates, according to 12 News.
"These men and women came as close to the gates of hell as anybody could ever come," said an official during the somber ceremony, as recorded by 12news. The Payson community, along with survivors and family members, reminisced and celebrated the legacy of Sandra Bachman, James Denny, Curtis Springfield, James Ellis, Joseph Chacon, and Alex Contreras. Their portraits have been etched in metal and are on display with their biographies at the memorial site, a gesture to ensure their stories endure.
According to a FOX 10 Phoenix report, the community emphasizes the connection they feel with these heroes. "We’re family, we’ve never seen each other, we’ve never known each other. But look, look, look at us now," Mary Contreras, sister of victim Alex Contreras, expressed during the remembrance. The memorial not only serves as a tribute to the fallen but also as a monument for all wildland firefighters, according to Scott Briggs of the SAND UNDO Foundation.
Survivors of the Dude Fire carry the scars and memories every day, a poignant reminder of the incident's lasting impact. "We live with the scars every day, we’re reminded every day of the fire still here at Bonita Creek, it’s all around us still. So we want to remember these firefighters as well," Bonita Creek resident Mike Lynch told FOX 10 Phoenix. Reflecting on the survivors, Patrick Flippen, one of the five injured in the fire, conveyed to 12news, “They're heroes. They're heroes. Yeah, we were all in prison for a reason: drugs, violence, whatever the case may have been. We paid our price. They paid the ultimate price.”
The painful recollections of the tragedy highlight the importance of safety reforms for wildland firefighting which has become part of the fire's legacy, as Central Zone Fire Prevention Captain Chris Reed noted in an interview with FOX 10 Phoenix, "Their legacy lives through from education and sharing their story with the next generation of firefighters, and more importantly you guys as the community members." This year's anniversary event once again brought the community together, in shared loss, remembrance, and an ongoing commitment to never forget the sacrifices made that fateful summer day.
