Arizona prepares for early, intense wildfire season

Wildfire season is upon us. What can we expect, what are the big threats, and also what can homeowners do to protect their property?

According to data from the Forestry and Fire Management Department in 2024, there were 2,149 fires, compared with 1,817 during the same period in 2023. These fires resulted in 93,229 more acres burned than in 2023.

John Truett, Fire Management Officer of the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire, joined “Arizona Horizon” to discuss how the state is treating thousands of acres to reduce fuel, coordinating with federal and local partners and preparing for a longer fire season.

Truett confirmed his department is being more “critical” than they have in the past due to the lack of rainfall Arizona received this past year. He also said Arizona is in “exceptional drought throughout the state.”

“We’re getting more and more fires, like say, this year we had the Horton fire up in the Payson area around Christmas. We don’t have fires like that in that elevation in that time of year; that’s unprecedented. Then a few months later, we had the Brady fire up in Prescott that basically cleaned burn almost 500 acres,” Truett said.

Those fires were due to both drought and, Truett said, vegetation will continue to dry, and he does anticipate acceleration of this condition.

“What the National Weather Service is telling us is that usually following a dry winter, it’s a higher likelihood of an earlier onset or normal onset of monsoons so we’re hoping that stays true,” Truett said.

In efforts to avoid wildfires, he said, this year the Department of Forestry has treated or thinned vegetation for over 25,000 acres out of the 22 million acres they are responsible for keeping up. This work was completed with more funding from the state and federal levels.