By Jon Johnson
GRAHAM COUNTY — During a Red Flag Warning advisory on Monday, in which wind gusts were predicted above 40 mph, and while more than 240 firefighting personnel were battling the Bryce Fire near Fort Thomas, a farmer east of Safford was intentionally setting brush on fire.
The farmer was burning debris that had accumulated in canals near the 6000 block of Sanchez Road in a controlled burn when winds predictably pushed the fire out of hand and into brush the farmer didn’t mean to set on fire.
According to a Graham County Sheriff’s Office Report, the Safford Fire Department arrived and extinguished the fire before it spread further.
The deputy took no further action. Fire officials strongly advise not to perform any controlled burns during Red Flag Warning advisory days, specifically advising not to do such activity due to weather conditions and the possibility of causing a wildfire.
