On January 8. 2024, Vickie Conner reported that a tree was laying on lines near the round firehouse in the DMR. DMRVFD Asst. Chief Kevin Honeycutt and Darryl Fellers responded to the location and looked at the damage. Fortunately, the large, old oak tree was down on the telephone line, not on the power lines. At the time, the power lines, located above the phone lines, were unaffected. Power had been out in many locations in the DMR. It was believed that somehow the breakers had reset themselves. It was also later determined that an unrelated problem existed with the power company as power was out in Crow’s Nest and Fort Davis.
The next morning, a team of DMR men tackled the fallen tree limbs. The team consisted of Darrell Fellers, Art Fitzgerald, Edward Eaton, Robert Levine, Jerry Guthrie and Jake Guthrie. The fallen tree limbs were part of the reason that almost 50 homes had no power until 11 pm the night before.
On January 10, 2024, Jerry Guthrie loaded up the mountain of tree limbs that had been cut the day before onto his trailer and took them to the burn pile.
Thanks to the volunteers from the DMRVFD, the Road Crew and other volunteers for spending a cold and windy day working on the tree and protecting our community and a special thanks to Jerry Guthrie for cleaning up the cut tree limbs. It just shows that volunteerism is still alive and well in the DMR.
Thanks to Rhonda Honeycutt for the photos.
NEWS
May 2025 COCHISE FIRE IN THE DMR
On Saturday afternoon, May 10, 2025, the DMRVFD was toned out at 4:30 pm for a fire in the DMR which was reported at property located at the end of Cochise Canyon Trail on private property. Chief Edna Queen toned out Fort Davis Fire and called Jeremy Williams the Fort Stockton Texas Forest Service representative. He arrived right away and ordered three SEATS (single engine air tanker) drops of retardant Saturday evening.
We are very fortunate conditions were favorable so that the SEATS attack could drop retardant during the daylight window before the planes were ordered back to ground. However, Jeremy Williams (TFS) was still concerned about the fire and stayed the night in his truck at the DMR fire department. Jeremy kept watch as he was worried the fire might build again if winds were to pick up.
On Sunday morning, May 11, 2025, we had a large contingent of assistance arrive in the DMR. A Strike Team from TFS arrived with approximately 25 men who would be “boots on the ground” to fight the fire in the canyon. The Alpine Volunteer Fire Department sent a 5-person crew to assist if needed. This was their first time in the DMR!
Sunday also saw more SEATS attacks of six more retardant drops and six water drops. Sunday was extremely busy at the fire department. There was no way to get trucks to the location. We had to use our UTV’s, our personal UTV’s and one hybrid Toyota (lol) to shuttle the men to the trailhead location which was over a mile past the property owner’s gate. The UTV trail to the drop off location had many switchbacks, elevations, steep downhill roads, and narrow draws! The mileage each way was almost 4 miles! The UTV’s were weighed down coming and going! After the drop offs, the hand crews had to hike at least another mile to the fire. As one fireman said, he hugged a tree on the way down to keep from falling!
Fire creates its own weather and this morning we saw classic fire behavior as the temperatures rose, and humidity levels dropped. Spot fires popped up and we had a couple of new plumes to get under control.
As the Texas Forest Service pulled away on the afternoon of Monday, May 12, 2025, they turned the responsibility of the fire back to the DMRVFD and the DMR community.
Wednesday morning, May 14, Asst. Chief Kevin Honeycutt, Captain Bert LaGuarde and Firefighter Rhonda Honeycutt drove to the trailhead and Bert and Rhonda hiked down to the fire location to do some investigation and check for hot spots. They found the heel of the fire, the flanks and the ignition location where lightning struck a dead Ponderosa Pine. Remnants of the shattered and scorched pine and the hole the TFS dug to make sure the dead roots were not burning underground.
Now let’s talk about what could have happened……
If the winds had been higher and humidity levels lower and higher heat, the fire would have run up the saddle of the canyon to the ridge of the mountain. Then we would have had a huge fire on our hands. If winds had shifted from the NNE to the South or West, fire could have run back to the DMR and then structures would have been threatened.
We will continue to monitor the fire’s location throughout the coming week. It’s predicted to get hot and windy. Perfect weather for fire and red flag days.
As a department, we want to thank all our volunteers who have been at the station all weekend. Our firemen spent many trips shuttling the TFS hand crews back and forth to the location. Our support team members have been cooking and cleaning and serving everyone involved. It’s great to have a hot meal at the end of the day after a long day’s work and the TFS crews really appreciated the efforts. Thanks to the community members who dropped off water and donations and delicious food…it is very much appreciated.
As a community we can NOT get complacent about fire. If you see smoke, smell smoke, call 911 immediately. Do not wait! Dispatch will not get upset if you call in a fire that has already been reported. Evey single minute counts with fire when we are trying to get resources out here to fight fire.
Thank you to Darryl Fellers and his mom Karen for reporting the smoke sighting.
Remember time is of importance. If you see or smell smoke or fire, CALL 911 IMMEDIATELY!
Edna Queen – Fire Chief DMRVFD
Rhonda Honeycutt – DMRVFD Board President
Donkey / Burro Mitigation Committee
A committee comprised of concerned citizens in the DMR have stepped up and are investigating methods for mitigating the increasing amount of donkeys/burros in the DMR. A Facebook page has been created that includes news and committee action updates to keep everyone aware of what’s happening. The site also allows for feedback and questions from the public. For more info, go to the Burro Mitigation Efforts in the DMR page in this site. Also, you can click on the following link to be directed to the official Facebook page: Donkeys of the DMR
January 3, 2024 Meet and Greet
We would like to thank all of the candidates and residents who came out to the Community Center to learn about some of the candidates who are on the primary ballot in March. It was great meeting the candidates and hearing a little about how they will do the job in elected.
Dale Learish – DMPOA President
January 24, 2024 Stuck Trucks and Trailers Assist
Thank you to all that helped out this evening pulling the truck/trailer rigs out of the mud on the ranch road. It takes a village sometimes but that is why we live here…neighbors helping neighbors. Shout out to Kevin Honeycutt , Edward Eaton , Dale L Pilcher , Ray Queen, Darryl Fellers and Marvin Voiers for responding and assisting. It’s unfortunate that certain individuals were put off and impatient. It is what it is and we should all pay it forward….never know when you will need help from one of your neighbors.
Rhonda Honeycutt
Thank you guys for stepping up and responding to help your fellow neighbors in need. No one wants to leave their warm comfortable homes late in the evening on a cold wet night. Your DMRVFD volunteers will. and do so for nothing else but to be of service to our community. Most did not make it back home till after 11 pm. When they arrive on a scene, they have to problem solve on the spot.
If you would like to be of service to our community, please stop by the station and fill out an application. We are always looking for volunteers.
Edna Queen – DMRVFD Fire Chief
Thanks to Rhonda Honeycutt for the photos