It’s nearly 30 years now but those in the Verde Communities who were around at the time have the weekend of the Rio Fire etched into their minds.
Waiting anxiously for the possible destruction of the community until a change in the wind answered prayers and moved the fire away from the community.
The Verdes have a strong interface with the open desert around them and there have been wildland fires before and since the Rio Fire. Residents eventually decided to take steps to personally protect their communities. The National Fire Protection Association’s Firewise program is a near perfect fit for communities like Rio Verde and Tonto Verde. Rio signed on first with Tonto to follow a year or two later.
