Teens called heroes for fighting blaze before fire-responders arrived
Robert Wilcox, 63, died in a residential structure fire in the 900 block of Calle Tomallo, in the Centerville neighborhood of Clarkdale on June 2.
Multiple calls came into dispatch at 1:44 p.m. and three local high-schoolers attempted to extinguish the flames.
First responders arrived at 1:50 p.m., and were on scene until around 8:30 a.m. June 3. However, crews were able to contain the fire to the residence and adjacent properties sustained only minor damage.
Three local high school students “heard the witness screaming, and they jumped the fence, one of them was injured slightly, and they grabbed a neighbor’s hose, and started trying to put the fire out,” Clarkdale Police Department Chief Randy Taylor said. “So we’ll be recognizing them at one of our town council meetings, but they were heroes in their own way.”
“Fire suppression and search operations were complicated by a large volume of stored belongings and materials throughout the property, which restricted access, limited visibility, impeded movement in and around the structure, and increased fire load,” VVFD and CPD wrote in a joint press release. Due to fire’s complexity, crews from the Verde Valley Fire District, Cottonwood Fire and Medical Department, Sedona Fire District, Copper Canyon Fire & Medical District and Verde Valley Ambulance responded, ultimately involving four engine companies, one truck company, three battalion chiefs, a support unit, an ambulance and the Regional Fire Investigation Team.
“VVFD would like to recognize the courage, compassion, and quick concern shown by three local young men who attempted to help during this house fire,” VVFD and CCFMD Fire Chief Danny Johnson wrote. “Their actions reflected a true heart of service and care for others during a frightening and urgent situation. We are grateful for young people in our community who are willing to step forward when others are in need. That type of character is what we are looking for in the young men and young women in our community to be our future firefighters.”
“We do know the roof collapsed,” ex-wife Amanda “Amy” Wilcox said. “My oldest and I went up yesterday and took a look, without crossing any of the barriers, and it’s pretty bad. It started in his bedroom and did the most damage there.”
Amy described Robert, born May 26, 1963, and father to daughters Kelsie and August, as a kindhearted man and animal lover.
“He loved camping every year, when our kids were young, and we would camp on top of Mingus, for the weekend or however many days we wanted, and we always had a really good time for our birthdays, because we were born nine years apart, and our birthdays were both in the month of May,” Amy said.
Robert also loved fishing, mostly sticking to a rod and reel.
“He wasn’t proficient at fly fishing, although he did want to master that someday, but because he was a stroke victim, he lost the ability to do a lot of that stuff,” Amy said, referring to the mobility he’d lost after the stroke.
“I divorced him because we couldn’t remain a couple, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t still love him, and I never wanted anything bad for him,” Amy said. “I know he fought a lot of demons, as we all do, but ultimately he didn’t deserve this end. Nobody deserves this end.”
Five cats at the residence are believed to have died in the fire, but his husky, a dog named Cookie that she said adored him, was found alive off Miners Gulch and taken to the Humane Society. A witness opened up the door, and went back into the house to let the animals out, Taylor said.
VVFD recommends homes have at least two multipurpose fire extinguishers, and to remember the PASS technique when using one. To pull the pin, aim the hose at the fire’s base, squeeze the handle and sweep side-to-side.
“I can’t say that this could have been prevented, but the amount of clutter could have been catastrophic had the VVFD not been able to put the fire out as quickly as they did … take advantage of our cleanup day. It’s free,” Taylor said.
The autopsy was conducted on the morning of Thursday, June 4, and Wilcox’s cause of death has not yet been determined. The cause of the fire is also under investigation by CPD and the Regional Fire Investigation Team.
“Just pray for us,” Amy said.
