Family jumps into action to help firefighters contain Rose Fire near Wickenburg
WICKENBURG, Ariz. - One family was fighting the flames of the Rose Fire right alongside fire crews to save everything.
The fire now is 70% contained, burning 200 acres just south of Wickenburg.
The Partridge family says they weren’t leaving but rather joining crews on the front lines.
Their wood barn is still standing here today with the flames coming right up to the horse stalls, surrounded by a ring of fire.
"It sounded like a jet coming down the river," Craig Partridge said.
What he heard was the Rose Fire, quickly making its way down the creek.
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"I mean, it went fast. I mean, it was seconds," he said. "I look over and all you see is this big cloud and you could see the heat waves in it and stuff. Then when it stopped, it just went straight up."
The Partidge family was told to evacuate. Instead they grabbed all their hoses and joined in the fight.
"I wasn't going to give up until I had to," Partridge said. "Nothing's going to stop us from doing what we got to do. We'll fight right here with you."
Their show horses running wild to escape the property filled with smoke are now in Prescott after smoke inhalation caused damage to their lungs and vision.
"If I have to put her down, that dream of our legacy of these quarter horses is gone because my wife is not going to live long enough to do it again. That's the end of our legacy," he said.
Craig and his family worked until midnight, offering their trailer to evacuate the animals.
That effort was also tiring for Partridge.
Fifteen structures were burned in the 200 acres.
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Rose Fire claims 15 structures near Arizona town, slows traffic on Phoenix-to-Las Vegas highway
The Rose Fire burning in Wickenburg destroyed 7 homes, prompted overnight evacuations and closed the main highway between Phoenix and Las Vegas before an army of firefighters arrived to stem the flames, a fire official said Thursday.
Some families lost everything in this tight-knit community. Partridge is grateful no lives were lost.
"Thank the Lord. I mean, I'm blessed, really. We'll all pull together as a community and we're there for each other," he said.
Crews are still out making sure hot spots are put out.
The Partridge family crediting the crews that quickly contained this fire to save their home and animals.