TUSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — On Sunday various agencies including the Oracle Fire Department and Southwest Area incident Management Team 4 held a public meeting to keep the community in the know about the Cody Fire.
“I’m just glad to be alive,” Kaliko Willingham said.
Willingham was one of the people who live in Oracle whose house burned in the fire.
“I’m devastated. I’ve only had probably 17 hours of sleep in four days,” she said.
On Wednesday she said firefighters knocked on her door to evacuate her.
“If not for those wonderful firefighters, I would’ve stayed five more minutes and I wouldn’t have gotten out,” she said.
At the meeting officials said there was a historic amount of fuel like brush and timber.
“It burns fast and hot when the fuel is that dry,” Stefan La-Sky, the public information officer for Southwest Area Incident Management Team 4 said.
Officials also said it’s been an abnormally dry year. La-Sky said that also contributed to fueling the fire.
“We’ve got a horrible combination. We’ve got high winds, we’ve got super high temperatures,” he said.
For about a week, officials said some people might still not have power.
People were able to ask officials questions, and many asked about how to get updates if they do not use social media.
“Communication between the fire department and the community is spot on,” Laura Flores, who evacuated from Oracle said.
Alicia Bristol, who lives in Oracle, said, “Notices on Facebook, but as I said, not everyone looks online for information.”
Officials are still looking into what caused the fire. They also said they’re going to reevaluate road closures everyday.
Many people at the meeting were appreciative of the firefighters and each other.
“I am so grateful to all of the positive energy that I’ve encountered at this meeting today, because that’s what I’ve been needing to help me get through it," Willingham said.
