{"id":2568,"date":"2026-06-24T12:05:08","date_gmt":"2026-06-24T12:05:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tucsonmovingreport.com\/?p=2568"},"modified":"2026-06-24T12:05:08","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T12:05:08","slug":"unlikely-heroes-rush-to-battle-kay-fire-near-cave-creek","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tucsonmovingreport.com\/?p=2568","title":{"rendered":"Unlikely heroes rush to battle Kay Fire near Cave Creek"},"content":{"rendered":"
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CAVE CREEK, AZ (AZFamily)<\/b> \u2014 Firefighters continued battling the Kay Fire burning in the Desert Hills area northeast of Cave Creek, attacking the flames from the ground and the air.<\/p>\n

Read more Extreme Heat Warning again, for Tucson and surrounding areas<\/a><\/p>\n

The wildfire was estimated at 40 acres and is one of several burning across Arizona. Fire officials said crews were on scene within minutes of the fire sparking Monday.<\/p>\n

Among the first to respond: volunteers with the Tonto Hills Volunteer Fire Department\u2014people whose day jobs don\u2019t typically include fighting wildfires.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a lot to remember,\u201d said Merrilee Edwards, as she fired up a brush truck outside the station. Each step, she said, is precise and has been passed down for years. \u201cI learned it from previous firefighters that were here,\u201d Edwards said. \u201cOnce you do it a couple of times, it\u2019s pretty easy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Edwards is one of about 20 volunteers on the crew, alongside Chuck Stoltz and Ann DiChiara, among others. None of them planned on firefighting as a career.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a real estate agent,\u201d Edwards said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo on the weekends I would be here training with the team, and then during the week I\u2019d be playing nurse,\u201d DiChiara said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, I went to school as a geologist,\u201d Stoltz said.<\/p>\n

The crew said there\u2019s a common misconception about volunteer firefighters.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think they\u2019re under the assumption that all of us were firefighters and that we know everything about it,\u201d DiChiara said. \u201cBut we\u2019re always up.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to the National Fire Protection Association, nearly 70% of firefighters nationwide are volunteers. And despite the term \u201cvolunteer,\u201d the Tonto Hills crew said they are often a community\u2019s first line of defense\u2014especially in rural areas where other departments may have longer response times.<\/p>\n

On Monday afternoon, when the Kay Fire sparked northeast of Cave Creek, the call went out.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was in Goodwill in Scottsdale,\u201d Edwards said. \u201cBut we want to be there to help people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Chandler man who ran gun store admits role in dozens of illegal firearm sales<\/a><\/p>\n

Edwards said nearby resources can take longer to arrive. \u201cRural Metro, which is in Carefree, would take 15 to 20 minutes,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The volunteers train regularly so they can respond day or night.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re always ready for a call,\u201d DiChiara said. \u201cAnd so we trained with the Forest Service and manuals, and we learned how to operate a truck.\u201d<\/p>\n

The department\u2019s members bring different skill sets to the team, DiChiara said, adding that everyone contributes in some way.<\/p>\n

Because they are volunteers, the department relies heavily on donations, and resources can be limited.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need protective gear for our firefighters because we operate on just donations,\u201d DiChiara said.<\/p>\n

Still, the crew said the work is worth it\u2014for the people they serve.<\/p>\n

The department is equipped with a side-by-side utility vehicle and a brush truck, and members train twice a month to stay ready for the next call, no matter where they are.<\/p>\n

Click here to donate.<\/p>\n

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Read more Trump, without evidence, blames vandals for damage at Reflecting Pool; says 6 arrested<\/a><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For a volunteer crew, firefighting wasn\u2019t a lifelong plan but when the Kay Fire sparked, protecting home became the mission.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2567,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2568","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"\nUnlikely heroes rush to battle Kay Fire near Cave Creek - Tucson Moving Report<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/tucsonmovingreport.com\/?p=2568\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Unlikely heroes rush to battle Kay Fire near Cave Creek - Tucson Moving Report\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"For a volunteer crew, firefighting wasn\u2019t a lifelong plan but when the Kay Fire sparked, protecting home became the mission.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/tucsonmovingreport.com\/?p=2568\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Tucson Moving Report\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-24T12:05:08+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tucsonmovingreport.com\\\/?p=2568#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tucsonmovingreport.com\\\/?p=2568\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tucsonmovingreport.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/71841c7d449e6ab1ace6bce2f5277255\"},\"headline\":\"Unlikely heroes rush to battle Kay Fire near Cave Creek\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-24T12:05:08+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tucsonmovingreport.com\\\/?p=2568\"},\"wordCount\":564,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tucsonmovingreport.com\\\/?p=2568#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tucsonmovingreport.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/b216649b2eb085912c9be0aa98469e0b.avif\",\"articleSection\":[\"Interesting\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/tucsonmovingreport.com\\\/?p=2568#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tucsonmovingreport.com\\\/?p=2568\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/tucsonmovingreport.com\\\/?p=2568\",\"name\":\"Unlikely heroes rush to battle Kay Fire near Cave Creek - 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