PHOENIX — Four pallet fires in 12 days. That’s what residents report is happening in a remote, deserted area near a north Phoenix community.
The pallets have been set on fire and left unattended on state land, about a mile south of Sonoran Gate, a residential community with 255 residents near 7th Street and Dove Valley Road.
“The neighborhood is really concerned,” Garry Adams, the HOA president, told 12News on Monday, a day after residents found remnants of a fourth pallet fire.
Residents first noticed the fires ignited sometime during the week of June 29, after noticing an orange glare at night.
A neighbor called 911 and asked Michael Snow, a drone operator, to fly his drone to check the area. He captured a pallet fully engulfed in flames.
A group went out to investigate and found several pallets lined up in a half circle while a piece of wood smoldered. They also found a pocketknife with the words “Robert” written on its side.
“It’s definitely concerning, that [someone is] out here burning pallets thinking that’s OK,” Snow told 12News.
On June 23, neighbors reported seeing suspicious activity near the same area. They went out and filmed a man leaving the scene. The video given to 12News showed residents speaking to the truck driver. When they asked him about the pallets, the drive speed was off.
“We would like to get some involvement and someone to stop this person from doing this,” Ron Weiss said. “We’re concerned and need this to be investigated.”
Neighbors called fire and police departments twice, but those agencies tell 12News that no active fires were found when they arrived at the scene, even after sending a helicopter and multiple units, Phoenix Fire Captain Rob McDade said.
“We understand the frustration of this community,” McDade said. “But sadly, we’ve seen this across this area.”
McDade said pallet fires had been a growing problem in remote areas for several years. The problem is sparse and involves multiple jurisdictions, he said.
After the recent pallet fires near Sonoran Gates, “we’ve reengaged with state, with the authorities that can investigate this and try and prevent it,” McDade said. “That’s paramount to us right now; we want to know who is starting these fires and how we stop it from happening.”
With the extreme heat danger Arizona is currently in, neighbors hope whoever is setting the fires stops.
“It’s definitely a sobering reality,” said Snow, who in 2018 lost his home in Camp Fire in Paradise, California. His mother perished in the blaze.
“You don’t want to lose your home in a fire, trust me when I tell you,” Snow said.
After 12News reached out to local authorities about the neighbors' concerns, state and local agencies will now work together to identify who is starting the pallet fires in the area, 12News was told.
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