PHOENIX (AZFamily) — A fast-moving fire destroyed a home on Virginia Avenue near 59th Avenue and Thomas Road Wednesday morning, highlighting ongoing concerns about Phoenix Fire Department response times.
Five people lived in the home but were not there at the time of the fire.
Neighbor Gabriel Romero saw the flames and called 911. He and another neighbor entered the home to check if anyone was inside before quickly exiting.
“They tried to go in just to see if anyone was home. They were knocking hard and there was no response,” Romero said through his son, who acted as translator.
Response times under scrutiny
The Glendale Fire Department responded to that Phoenix house fire first under mutual aid, arriving in less than four minutes. Phoenix Fire arrived five minutes later.
The National Fire Protection Association standard for the first arriving engine is 5 minutes and 20 seconds. The Phoenix Fire Department currently sits at 5 minutes and 45 seconds citywide.
“Our response time made the difference in saving as much of that house as we could,” a Phoenix Fire official said.
Response times vary significantly by district. The latest data presented to City Council shows two districts are under five minutes, while three are above six minutes.
“When you look at the different districts, they’re not all created equal. We have older, established central Phoenix,” the official said. “We’re always looking at ways to add more to help bring those numbers down.”
Department expansion underway
Phoenix Fire officials said the department is aggressively hiring and building new fire stations as the city grows and call volume increases.
“We’re always faced with that challenge of resources, personnel and the growth of the city. Every time you turn around there’s a new subdivision going in,” the official said.
Two fire stations are coming online, and three more are being built with response times in mind.
The family told our reporter off camera they are devastated but grateful to the firefighters who responded.
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