Arizona Department of Corrections, Arizona
End of Watch: Tuesday, June 26, 1990
Age: 43
Tour of Duty: 7 years
Badge Number: Not available
Cause of Death: Fire
Date of Incident: June 26, 1990
Weapon Used: Not available
Suspect Info: Not available
Assistant to the Deputy Warden Sandra Bachman was killed in a wildfire while overseeing prisoners who were detailed as a firefighting crew.
The crew had been deployed to a large wildfire in the Tonto National Forest near Payson, Arizona. They were overtaken by the a fire storm and suffered severe smoke inhalation. Assistant Bachman and five inmates died as a result. Several other inmates and firefighters suffered severe injuries.
Assistant Bachman had served with the Arizona Department of Corrections for seven years and was assigned to the San Pedro Unit at Perryville. She was survived by her mother, sister, and grandmother.