SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Airtankers made several fire retardant drops when the Diamond Fire broke out Tuesday afternoon.
It's meant to knock down the fire and serve as a protective barrier to places the flames haven't reached.
When the slurries drop, it looks red. That is, until they hit their target. Then it turns pink. Some homeowners near 130th Street and Rio Verde Drive know firsthand.
“We got it pretty good,” said Mike Sleppy.
His home is now covered in the liquid, turning nearly all of his home pink.
“The plane had come from this way, flew over and dropped about right there,” he said, showing the aftermath.
From his driveway to nearly every exterior wall, and his roof was covered. Sleppy said it looked like there were pink puddles all over his property.
“Pink rocks and pink houses, I can hear John Cougar singing now,” Sleppy said.
The one area of his home that was clear was where his wife's SUV was parked. When she was evacuating the home, that's when the slurry drop happened—covering it from head to toe.
“She was still getting in the car and she just got drenched as well,” he said.
However, Sleppy is starting to appreciate the new look of his home, comparing it to modern art. He even said he might keep some of the pink.
What did overwhelm him is the view now from his backyard patio. Showing the destruction of the fire that reached his back fence and almost came onto his property.
A reminder of what he and his wife have to deal with is nothing compared to what could have happened.
“It’s a mess. It’s going to take us days to clean up, but a small price for us to pay. Everybody was safe and nobody got hurt,” Sleppy said.
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