Definitely well put cdenton and jdnuts!! I'm a Fed, too, and I was on the Horsehoe 2 with a Type II IA crew and we busted our butts. In that steep country, there weren't many options but to back out and burn without putting firefitghters' lives at stake. There are way too many armchair quarterbacks. I've been on both sides, working to protect sensitive species and stop the fire. I can tell you first hand that a Federally listed species will NEVER be a reason that dozers are not used, that burn-outs are not done, and that fires are not suppressed to the fullest extent possible. I can point anyone to the portion of the ESA that says so. I watched fire crawl and run right through slurry drops on the Horsehoe 2. Yes, the flames slowed down for maybe 5-10 minutes in some areas, but they certainly didn't stop. We got all kinds of updates on the Wallow Fire while down there and you have to ask "How do you stop a fire that makes an 8-mile sustained crown run?". I've spent a great deal of time in the Chiricahuas, including Rucker Canyon and I've spent a great deal of time in Unit 27. Like cdention, I took it very personally and it was very emotional. If anyone really wants to point fingers, how about pointing them at the 2 individuals that didn't put out their campfire in red flag conditions?
