1 day Ago By [email protected] (Ashlie Rodriguez)
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs and officials from the Department of Forestry and Fire Management held a news conference on March 31 to discuss the outlook for this year's wildfire season in the state. Arizona Gov.
Katie Hobbs and fire officials held a news conference on March 31 to discuss the wildfire season. Wildfire season is already underway, with the Saddlebrooke Fire burning nearly 300 acres near Tucson. PHOENIX - The upcoming wildfire season in Arizona this summer is going to be intense, that's according to Governor Katie Hobbs and the Department of Fire and Forestry Management.
What they're saying: The Department of Fire and Forestry Management said during a news conference on March 31 that they can tell the severity of conditions in the state by watching what happened on Friday, when the Saddlebrooke Fire erupted as a string of 18 fires along a 20-mile stretch of State Route 79. The fire was likely caused by a vehicle dragging a chain, officials said. The fire burned nearly 300 acres in about two days.
The Saddlebrooke Fire burns along State Route 79 near Tucson. Officials said on Monday that an average summer day in Arizona can lead to structure loss, and that's due to being in several years of drought, and extremely dry vegetation. "My personal opinion, yeah, it’s a lot dryer and a lot of the fire service folks have been in the state for a long time," said John Truett, of the Department of Fire and Forestry Management.
"This is one of the most critical years that we’ve seen in our careers. You don’t need an extreme event right now to have fire carry. And we have multiple fires across the state.
Once that comes, that really stretches the resources very thin. And all that stuff that you mentioned, national resources are at a draw down right now. So we need to be very careful about how we aid our partners out west.
We need to maintain our staffing here at home, and we will always do that and make sure we have enough coverage here in the states." Right now, they are working on thinning the dry bush and reducing the fuel out there. They have treated about 23,000 acres so far, with a goal of hitting 33,000 by the end of the year.
The department says they are confident in their staffing and are conducting Interagency training and fine-tuning their wildfire mitigation plan. What you can do: Officials say homeowners can help by clearing their own land, watching chains on cars and, anytime you light a match or use a lighter, consider the damage just a small ember can do this summer. FOX 10 reporter Ashlie Rodriguez gathered information for this report.
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