In every talk I give about survival signalling I discuss the importance of ensuring that your signal fire (or camp fire for that matter) doesn't create a forest fire. It will get noticed, but... Usually everyone gets a good laugh, but I don't think anyone really believe that it could happen. Read on...<br><br>Lost woman sets signal fire in woods; blaze continues to grow<br><br>Judi Villa<br>The Arizona Republic<br>June 20, 2002 12:55:00<br><br>A woman lost in the woods set a signal fire Thursday that quickly consumed nearly 200 acres of wildland and threatened the town of Heber, officials said.<br><br>A helicopter from KPHX-TV Channel 5 saw the fire and rescued her. Neither the television crew nor the woman extinguished the fire before leaving.<br><br>"They didn't take the time to put the fire out. Nobody did," said Dorman McGann, a spokesman for the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest.<br><br>The fire had burned 180 acres by early afternoon and was continuing to grow. It is about 10 miles south and east of Heber near the Gentry Lookout Tower. City officials went through Heber neighborhoods, telling residents to prepare to evacuate. If given the order, residents will have only about 30 minutes to get out.<br><br>McGann said the woman was with a female friend when they got lost in the woods and the friend set out for help. She stayed, spotted the Channel 5 helicopter and set the fire to draw the pilot's attention. She was taken to an unknown hospital. Her name was not available.<br><br>There will be a criminal investigation into the fire, McGann said.<br><br>I should also note that the latest large fire here in Arizona, named the Rodeo Fire, grew from 300 acres to 50,000 acres in 12 hours! Please be careful out there, it's a tinderbox.<br>

Since many had asked, here's a follow-up report with more details about the sequence of events and it addresses the questions raised about the helicopter and its crew. Just FYI, this fire has now consumed 20,000 acres and two towns are currently reported burning. Scores of firefighters are struggling to keep this fire and the larger (150,000 acre) Rodeo fire from connecting.<br><br>Channel 5 helicopter not at fault in fire start<br><br>Brent Whiting<br>The Arizona Republic<br>June 22, 2002<br> <br>The "Chediski" fire had already spread into treetops when a helicopter news team rescued a lost hiker suspected of setting the blaze, a Phoenix television official said Friday. <br><br>Mitch Jacob, news director of Channel 5 (KPHO), said the helicopter crew has been unfairly criticized for not trying to put out the blaze. <br><br>"All they had was drinking water," Jacob said. "It wasn't something they could throw a quart of water on and walk away. The fire was in the trees and beyond hope." <br><br>Dorman McGann, a spokesman for the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests, agreed, saying the fire was in the trees and nothing could have been done. <br>On Thursday, McGann had said the crew managed to rescue the woman but "didn't taken the time to put the fire out." <br><br>He said Friday that he made the statement based on preliminary information, not realizing the fire had spread, and apologized for finger-pointing. <br><br>The woman, Valinda Jo Elliott, 31, believed to live in the Valley, is suspected of setting a signal fire so she could be found in the woods. <br>By Friday, that fire had erupted into a 16,000-acre inferno roughly 12 miles south of Heber-Overgaard. <br><br>Elliott told Channel 5 that her vehicle had run out of gas and that she had been lost for three days. <br><br>She was taken by the news crew to Payson Regional Medical Center, where she was treated but not admitted. <br><br>Jacob said the crew placed several calls to authorities reporting the fire and offering the location of the blaze. <br><br>