PAYSON, Ariz. — The Salt River Project has recently received funds to restore land near Payson that's still affected by the deadly Dude Fire that occurred more than 30 years ago.
Six firefighters from the Perryville Fire Crew -- five inmates and a supervisor -- died after a lightning bolt ignited a fire that would encompass thousands of acres and destroy dozens of structures. Members of the crew weren't able to escape the Dude Fire's fast and erratic spread as it moved across the Tonto and Coconino national forests.
The deadly event happened on June 26, 1990 — a date known in the Valley as the hottest day ever recorded in Phoenix after the temperature reached 122 degrees.
SRP is now working to restore the wildfire's long-term burn scar located north of Payson. The utility provider recently announced that it had been given $288,419 from EdgeCore Digital Infrastructure to carry out the first two phases of SRP's Dude Fire Restoration Project.
SRP said the project will involve clearing out flammable debris from 5,000 acres of land that had been devastated by the Dude Fire. The project's goal is the reduce the land's dense vegetation and hopefully allow remaining trees more room to thrive.
The restoration work is intended to better protect the health of the forest watershed, which is where SRP gets most of its water that is delivered to customers throughout the Valley.
SRP will be working with officials from the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management and Tonto National Forest to complete the restoration project.
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