The Springer fire, located on Springer Mountain in Pinetop, was called in by locals. “We saw smoke coming up from behind the Pinetop Safeway,” said a local. “The smoke was concerning, and we didn’t know if it was a problem at first, but the smoke looked like it grew.”
Pinetop Fire District’s Suppression Module was quickly dispatched to the brush fire and started the initial attack of the incident. There was no road access into the brush fire, and the suppression module hiked in, just like they are trained to do in situations such as this.
The Pinetop Fire Suppression Module stopped the forward progress of the brush fire, leaving the acreage at .10 of an acre.
Pinetop Fire District Fire Marshall Chad Berlin said, “The suppression module quickly got a good line around the brush fire, and everyone did an excellent job.”
![Brushfire Behind Pinetop Safeway Quickly Suppressed by Local Fire Crews. The Springer Fire ignited behind the Pinetop Safeway on Oct 4, and was set to cause serious concerns for residents. It had the potential to become a much larger incident if it wasn't for the Pinetop Fire Suppression Module and local resources. Springer Fire Pinetop Supression Module Arizona MOUNTAIN DAILY STAR](https://mountaindailys.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Springer-Fire-Pinetop-Supression-Module-Arizona--1024x768.jpg)
Springer Fire in Pinetop Arizona, behind the Pinetop Safeway.
The U.S. Forest Service-Apache Sitgreaves and Pinetop Fire District resources also assisted with the brush fire.
Timber Mesa Fire Marshall JD Pepper and Pinetop investigators Berlin and David Davis are working on completing the investigation of the brush fire.
Berlin said, “The brush fire is under investigation.”
Chief Morgan’s vision of having a local suppression crew for the residents of Pinetop has shown to be valuable for the past several years.
Molly K Ottman Executive Editor/Journalist for Mountain Daily Star.
Photo Curtosy Pinetop Fire District Supression Module-Darrell Craig Assistant Superintendent.