Fire department sends wildland unit to help battle blazes

The Maricopa Fire Department’s wildland unit was deployed on its first assignment this year, heading to southeastern Arizona to help battle two fires.

The team, composed of Capt. Albert Bandin, engineer Dusky Jenkins, firefighter Paul Neuman and a Tempe firefighter, left Wednesday morning for Sierra Vista to work on the Canelo fire and Elgin fire. Fire department spokesman Brad Pitassi said the Canelo fire, west of Fort Huachuca, had fire officials “worried it could spread rapidly through that area.”

As of Thursday evening, the fire has burned about 4,200 acres and was 80 percent contained, according to the Coronado Forest Service.

The Maricopa wildland fire unit, which is using a Town of Guadalupe engine on their assignment, will gain some more resources to fight wildfires later this year. The department is adding a water tender with a 2,500-gallon tank soon and is expecting delivery of a Type-3 wildland engine – a four-wheel-drive vehicle smaller than most fire trucks that can get into more rugged areas – by the end of September.