PAULDEN, AZ (AZ Family) – There are renewed concerns after a fire earlier this week destroyed four homes in Paulden, a community about 25 miles north of Prescott.

Since Paulden does not have a fire department, a subscription fire service is available to respond to fires in the area. The Central Arizona Fire and Medical Authority, or CAFMA, covers several municipalities in Yavapai County, including Paulden.

The homes that burned yesterday did not pay to subscribe to that service, which delayed firefighters fighting the flames.

Property taxes do not cover fire responses for those who live outside their fire district. Therefore, homeowners must pay an annual fee in exchange for fire coverage. But locals say many people can’t afford it.

“I’ve seen houses burn in Paulden where the sheriff’s department is just watching them burn. There is no fire department in sight,” said Jane Anderson, who lives in the area.

People in Paulden say this isn’t the first time the fire district has failed to respond to a fire. Yellowstone Road, where the fire occurred, is not part of the fire district.

Four houses burned after one caught fire on Thursday; The flames spread quickly due to the wind and engulfed nearby houses.

“I feel horrible that it happened. It was planned to happen. I was surprised when the third trailer caught fire and CAFMA started pouring water on it. People, when they move to rural Arizona, assume it’s like Phoenix, where you get automatic coverage and other amenities, which is not true,” Anderson said.

Anderson has lived in Paulden for decades and hopes the fire brings real change to his community.

“CAF(MA) has already decided if they are going to respond? Negative. They do not have a contract,” says the audio of the office obtained by the Arizona Family. “Perhaps they can account for the safety of the officers?”

CAFMA says one homeowner owns most of these properties and has decided not to pay for fire coverage. The fire district says it will not respond to off-grid homes.

“There may be someone who is in an annexed area a mile or two away and if they are in a fire or have a heart attack and pay taxes, we are obligated to respond to them,” said CAFMA Deputy Director Cody Rose.

Anderson says the problem is cost.

Because the owner has not joined the district, mobile home renters have to pay a lump sum for access and protection. Anderson says that’s hard to justify to the people who live there.

“Most of the people who live in that section of Paulden are very low income, okay, very, very low income. “If you’re going to choose between paying for a firefighter contract, which is sky-high, maybe you’ll use it, maybe you won’t, or putting food on the table or making a car payment, you know, it’s one of those things.” Anderson said.

CAFMA says they will respond to homes out of contract if there are safety issues or someone’s life is in danger. But if everyone is out of the house and there is a fire, that’s a different story.

Those who lost their homes were not charged for the service, since the crews only put out the fire to protect the homes that were under contract.

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