Tales from the Morgue: Summerhaven endangered by fire

Blazing Forest Endangering Community Atop Mt. Lemmon
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Fire Visible from Tucson After Dark; 100 Men Battle Flames as Hundred-Acre Tract Of Forest Land Is Destroyed
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A forest fire, plainly visible from Tucson after dark, burned high in the Catalina mountains, dangerously close to the Summerhaven community atop Mt. Lemmon yesterday, and in less than 12 hours destroyed 100 acres of forest land. It was the first major blaze this season.

The fire was only "partially" under control last night, firest service officials reported, and 100 men, including 70 prisoners from the federal prison camp, worked in two shifts to confine it to as small an area as possible.

Radio Set Up

Reports from the scene of the blaze, accessible only by foot or pack animal, were meager last night. A portable radio was set up for contact between the fire camp and the federal prison camp at Vail Corral, but was useless after 5 p.m. due to jamming of the air waves by amateur radio operators in the Tucson area.

The fire was first reported at 11:30 a.m., Roger Morris, assistant forest ranger for the district, reported. The Civil Air Patrol's three-day-old forest fire spotting service, the "Dawn Patrol," had sent routine flights over the area at 7 a.m. and again at 10:30, but had seen nothing unusual. On landing after the 10:30 flight, Richard S. Griffith, CAP leader, noticed smoke and immediately took off again for aerial investigation. He radioed his findings to forest service officials.

Prisoners Assist

From the federal prison camp, it was reported last night that Superintendent C. B. Mead, with five officers and 70 prisoners, had been fighting the fire all day. They were aided by a force of forest service men and local volunteers.

A fire camp was established near the blaze, and one and a half miles from the nearest highway. Equipment, including drinking water, was packed in on mules, prison camp officers reported.

The fire, according to Morris, began at Box camp, an overnight camping place on the old Tucson-Mt. Lemmon trail, about three miles from Soldier's Camp.

Camper Suspected

No definite cause could be given, but Morris pointed out that there had been no lightning in the mountains and that the fire's place of origin indicated it was probably caused by a careless camper, who left a fire uncared for.

Although the flames had not reached Summerhaven last night, for a while it was feared they would. Fire fighters feared a wind would come up and blow the flames toward the community but, instead, the wind came from the other direction and aided the fire fighters. By late last night, the part of the blaze heading towards Summerhaven had been stopped, but the down-mountain section remained out of control.