Old Bisbee residents can rest easier regarding the threat from fire, knowing that the City’s contractor C&A Desert Diggers is well underway after eight weeks of fuels reduction along the “City Trail” above homes at the residential perimeter on the east side of Tombstone Canyon, and around the Spring Canyon communications tower. The purpose of fuels reduction is to create defensible space to protect lives, property, infrastructure, and historic assets, but it is hazardous work in steep canyons with questionable footing.

Freeport McMoRan External Communications Manager, James Telle, said in early 2024 BBC owner Chris Reece was notified that the lease scheduled to expire in late 2025 would not be renewed due to the aging condition of the building, which is compounded by general subsidence in the vicinity.

The City of Bisbee won the federal Healthy Forests Initiative / Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management grant in the fall of 2023. The work is overseen on the ground by the Bisbee Fire Department, which is in constant communication with the Desert Diggers team. The team includes eight local folks who have completed.…….read full story (online subscribers only)