PAULDEN, AZ (AZfamily) — Concerns have emerged again after a fire earlier this week destroyed four homes in the Paulden area, about 25 miles north of Prescott.

As there is no fire brigade in Paulden, a subscription fire service is available to respond to fires in the area. The Central Arizona Fire and Medical Authority, or CAFMA, covers multiple municipalities in Yavapai County, including Paulden.

The fact that the houses that burned down yesterday did not pay to subscribe to this service delayed the fire crews’ fight against the flames.

Property taxes do not cover fire responses for residents living outside their fire district. Therefore, homeowners must pay an annual fee for fire coverage. But people in the area say many people can’t afford it.

“I’ve seen houses burn in Paulden where the sheriff’s department just watched them burn. There’s 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 been unable to respond to a fire. Yellowstone Road, where the fire occurred, is not part of the fire area.

Four houses burned Thursday after one caught fire; The flames spread rapidly under the influence of the wind and surrounded the surrounding houses.

“I feel terrible that this happened. It was inevitable that it would happen. I’m surprised CAFMA started pouring water on it when the third trailer caught fire. People assume that when they move to rural Arizona it’s like Phoenix and you have auto coverage and other amenities, which is not true ,” Anderson said.

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

“Has the CAF(MA) decided whether they will respond? Negative. They don’t have a contract,” said dispatch audio obtained by Arizona Family. “Maybe they could step in for the safety of the officers?”

CAFMA said one landlord owned many of these properties and decided not to pay for fire insurance. The fire district says it will not respond to out-of-network homes.

“There might be someone a mile or two away in annexed territory, and if they’re on fire or having a heart attack and paying taxes, we have an obligation to respond to them,” CAFMA Deputy Chief Cody Rose said.

Anderson says the problem is cost.

Because the homeowner does not join the county, tenants of mobile homes there have to pay a lump sum to gain access to protection. That’s hard to justify for the people who live there, Anderson says.

“Most of the people who live in that part of Paulden have very low incomes, okay, very, very low incomes. If you’re going to have to choose between paying for a fire contract, which is a very noble thing, maybe you’ll use it, maybe you won’t, or putting food on the table or not.” If you have to choose between paying off your car, you know, it’s one of those things,” Anderson said.

CAFMA said they would intervene in homes without a contract if there were safety concerns or someone’s life was in danger. But if everyone is out of the house and a fire is burning, it’s a different story.

Those who lost their homes were not billed for the service, as crews extinguished the fire only to protect the homes under contract.

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