CROWN KING, Ariz. — Rebecca Thomas and her family couldn't wait to take their Can-am Maverick off-roading. They moved to the Valley from Utah last year and have been eyeing the paths near Crown King. Finally, with her daughter in town for Mother's Day weekend, they did it Saturday.
What they didn't realize was that a wildfire would break out in that same area while they were riding.
“We were pretty nervous for a minute, yeah," said Rebecca Thomas.
The Tussock Fire was just getting started as the Thomas Family stopped at the top of the hill for lunch.
“On our way back down we saw the smoke and it kept getting closer and closer as we drove down that road and pretty soon the fire was right on the side of the road on both sides," Rebecca described.
Rebecca and her daughter started taking cell phone video of the smoke and flames. Due to the fire's unpredictable nature, they decided to drive as fast as they could through it with flames roaring on both sides of the path.
“At one point it got really hot and we just went really fast through it and we were below the fire at that point," Rebecca said.
Since Saturday, the fire has grown to 3,500 acres. As the fire continues to burn, Rebecca and her family can't help but think about the what-ifs.
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