Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers loses family cabin in Gila County to Telegraph Fire
Mary Jo Pitzl
The Telegraph Fire has destroyed the family cabin of Arizona House Speaker Rusty Bowers, adding him to the growing list of property owners devastated by the wildfire sweeping through southern Gila County.
Bowers learned of the cabin's loss late Monday afternoon, hours after a contentious House session where Republicans failed to pass a nearly $2 billion tax cut and after a meeting with Gov. Doug Ducey. Among other things, Ducey and Bowers talked about fire suppression and wildfire prevention.
The cabin was located under Madera Peak, about 5 miles southwest of the town of Miami, said Andrew Wilder, a spokesman for House Republicans.
It was a long-time family respite and near the closest stand of pine trees that Bowers said he could find from his East Valley home, Wilder said.
Bowers, R-Mesa, in comments Monday to ABC15 News Arizona, said his family was at the cabin Saturday as the fire was growing, but didn't stay long.
"We took off," Bower said, adding they bundled up what they could. They tried to return Sunday, but the head ranger from the Globe Fire District warned them off, saying there was too much risk of being trapped by the growing fire.
On Monday, Bowers, R-Mesa, returned to the Capitol as the House took up work on the 2022 state budget, which includes a proposal to cut taxes by nearly $1.9 billion, the largest dollar amount in state history.
The effort failed on a tie vote, sending legislative leaders back to the drawing board. Later, in his meeting with Ducey, wildfires were among the topics discussed, according to a post on Twitter from Ducey's office.
Bowers is not the only lawmaker affected by the fire.
Rep. David Cook, R-Globe, toggled Monday between opposing the tax-cut legislation and checking in with his family and constituents in Globe on the status of the fire. He complained about having to leave his home to come to the Capitol for a budget vote that was destined to fail. His vote was pivotal: he joined with Democrats to kill the tax bill on a 30-30 vote.
On his drive back to Globe on Monday afternoon, Cook said he stopped to buy some fire hoses to fend off the fire at his property. Despite evacuation orders, he and his wife opted to stay at their home.
"I think we're going to be pretty OK to take care of ourselves," he said.
Reach the reporter at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter @maryjpitzl.
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