State Representative David Marshall (R-7) is announcing a public meeting of the Arizona House Fire Preparedness Ad Hoc Committee in Payson at the Gila Community College as wildfire season escalates.
Topics for discussion by the Committee will include presentations from the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management and the Salt River Project, focusing on forest conditions, fuel management, and coordinating utility responses.
The meeting comes in the wake of the Dragon Bravo Fire near the Grand Canyon, which is still burning in Northern Arizona and destroyed the famous North Rim lodge, along with dozens of other surrounding buildings, such as a visitor center, a wastewater treatment facility, and a number of cabins that were the only overnight accommodations in the area.
Containment rates are currently only at 26%.
The fire began on Independence Day and spread rapidly due to strong winds, quickly consuming everything in its path and prompting Governor Katie Hobbs (D-AZ) to call for an investigation into the failure to contain the inferno.
"I am calling for the federal government to conduct a comprehensive, thorough, and independent investigation into the management of the Dragon Bravo Fire, and to produce a report detailing the decisions that led to this devastating outcome," said Gov. Hobbs in a statement.
"The recent fires in California have shown how fast these disasters can escalate and how devastating they are when systems fail," said State Rep. Marshall in the announcement, adding, "We can't afford to wait and hope Arizona doesn't face the same. This committee is focused on identifying the problems now—so our firefighters, utilities, and communities have the tools they need to be ready."
Joining State Rep. Marshall, who chairs the Fire Preparedness Ad Hoc Committee, are State Representatives Walt Blackman (R-7), Selina Bliss (R-1), John Gillette (R-30), Gail Griffin (R-19), Stephanie Stahl Hamilton (D-21), and Myron Tsosie (D-6), along with various witnesses from the firefighting, forestry, insurance, and local government sectors.
The meeting can be viewed here: https://www.azleg.gov/videoplayer/?clientID=6361162879&eventID=2025071001
