ARIZONA NEWS

Wildfire season in Arizona burned almost 1 million acres in 2020

Jan 27, 2021, 5:00 PM | Updated: 6:03 pm

Hidden Fire (InciWeb Photo)...

Hidden Fire (InciWeb Photo)

(InciWeb Photo)

PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona had one of its worst wildfire seasons in nearly a decade last year, state Department of Forestry and Fire Management officials said Wednesday.

They said statistics show 2,520 wildfires burned 978,519 acres of state, federal and tribal lands in 2020. Of those fires, wildland fire investigators said 82% were human caused.

In comparison, 1,869 wildfires burned 384,942 acres on all land jurisdictions in 2019 and some 2,000 wildfires burned an estimated 165,000 acres in 2018.

Arizona’s most severe and destructive wildfire seasons came in 2011 with 1,988 fires charring more than 1 million acres.

Authorities said that among the factors for last year’s severe wildfire season was unseasonably warm conditions, a lack of moisture, an overabundance of fuels across Arizona’s central region and within the Sonoran Desert, and increased recreational traffic across the state.

Arizona’s nonexistent monsoon season also exacerbated the problems and pushed fire activity well into the fall with October’s 9,537-acre Horse Fire on the Prescott National Forest.

The lack of precipitation kept fire restrictions in place through November, according to forestry officials.

“The extreme drought conditions, excess ground fuel and inadequate moisture created fast moving, large-scale fires,” John Truett, fire management officer for Arizona’s forestry department, said in a statement.

We want to hear from you.

Have a story idea or tip? Pass it along to the KTAR News team here.

Arizona News

(Pexels Photo)...

Brandon Gray

Construction on The Shops at Lake Pleasant in Peoria underway

Construction on The Shops at Lake Pleasant in Peoria has started, the shopping center owner Vestar announced in a press release Friday. 

1 day ago

(Tim Hacker/ Mesa Public Schools)...

KTAR.com

ADHS offering free drinking water lead screening for schools, child care facilities

The Arizona Department of Health Services is offering free drinking water lead screening opportunities for schools and child care facilities as part of a nationwide program.

1 day ago

Arizona Rep. Stephanie Stahl Hamilton (Arizona State Legislature and Pixabay Photos)...

Brandon Gray

Arizona Rep. Stahl Hamilton violated House rules by hiding bibles, Ethics Committee finds

The Arizona House Ethics Committee released its findings Friday on an ethics complaint filed against State Representative Stephanie Stahl Hamilton.  

1 day ago

(Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)...

Associated Press

Hobbs vetoes bill requiring schools to limit transgender students’ bathroom access

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs has vetoed Republican-sponsored legislation to restrict use of public school restrooms by transgender students.

1 day ago

(Pexels Photo)...

KTAR.com

Suspect arrested after allegedly fatally shooting Little Caesars coworker in Glendale

Police have arrested a suspect accused of fatally shooting a coworker in Glendale on Friday.

1 day ago

Follow @suelenrivera...

SuElen Rivera

Tempe gets funding from Maricopa County to operate indoor cooling center

The city of Tempe received a grant from the state's most populous county to operate a new indoor cooling center in the East Valley.

1 day ago

Sponsored Articles

...

DAY & NIGHT AIR CONDITIONING, HEATING AND PLUMBING

Here are the biggest tips to keep your AC bill low this summer

PHOENIX — In Arizona during the summer, having a working air conditioning unit is not just a pleasure, but a necessity. No one wants to walk from their sweltering car just to continue to be hot in their home. As the triple digits hit around the Valley and are here to stay, your AC bill […]

...

OCD & Anxiety Treatment Center

5 mental health myths you didn’t know were made up

Helping individuals understand mental health diagnoses like obsessive compulsive spectrum disorder or generalized anxiety disorder isn’t always an easy undertaking. After all, our society tends to spread misconceptions about mental health like wildfire. This is why being mindful about how we talk about mental health is so important. We can either perpetuate misinformation about already […]

(Photo: OCD & Anxiety Treatment Center)...

OCD & Anxiety Treatment Center

Here’s what you need to know about OCD and where to find help

It's fair to say that most people know what obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders generally are, but there's a lot more information than meets the eye about a mental health diagnosis that affects about one in every 100 adults in the United States.

Wildfire season in Arizona burned almost 1 million acres in 2020