© Tom Tingle/The Republic
Don Sandy (left) watches the Goodwin Fire as seen from his house in the town of Mayer on Tuesday, June 27, 2017. Mayer was later evacuated.
Hundreds of anxious Mayer residents, forced from their homes just hours before by the rapidly spreading Goodwin Fire, gathered at a Prescott Valley high school Tuesday night to get the latest news on the progress of the flames threatening their community. But little of what fire officials said was comforting as
erratic winds continued to push flames through tinderbox-dry conditions along rough terrain. By nightfall, the Goodwin Fire had forced Mayer and other areas to evacuate, closed a major road to Prescott and scorched 18,000 acres. It was only 1 percent contained as of Tuesday night.
With that reality, the crowd was reminded of the potential cost of protecting structures, when one official mentioned a looming anniversary of a tragedy that remains all too fresh in the area. Pete Gordon, fire chief for Prescott National Forest, brought up the 19 Granite Mountain Hotshots who died on a hill four years ago June 30 while fighting the Yarnell Hill wildfire, which sparked two days prior.
"They weigh heavy on my mind, and I am sure they weigh heavy on your mind," he told the crowd. "So please understand that while we send firefighters into difficult places, there are places we will not go. We hope you support and appreciate that."
Comment: The U.S. has had more record lows since 1937 than record highs