Arizona faces high fire risk amid ongoing drought, number of wildfires so far in 2025
PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Rain and snow fell in parts of Arizona on Wednesday, and it’s something the state hasn’t seen much this winter.
It’s been so dry, and as the wildfire risk across the state remains high, a new report paints a better idea of which areas might be the most susceptible to wildfires.
The Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management says there have been 251 fires that have burned 3,500 acres so far in 2025. That number is much higher compared to the same time frame last year when 89 fires burned 4,000 acres.
The April 2025 Fire Season Outlook shows a stark difference between last year’s drought and this year’s. Many counties are under extreme to exceptional drought.
To put into perspective how dry it’s been, areas like Flagstaff have only gotten 46 inches of snow this winter compared to the average 84 inches it should have gotten by now. The new fire outlook shows above-average fire potential for much of the state through June.
Arizonans may remember the scary moments when wildfires tore through Flagstaff as the Tunnel and Pipeline fires burned more than 40,000 acres just months apart in 2022. Just months later, monsoon rains soaked the burn scars, leading to significant flash flooding.
“We had some major street flooding. Some homes that were flooded as well,” National Weather Service meteorologist Rick Rickey said.
The updated outlook shows the threat of wildfires growing over the next few months. The shade of red grows to more than three-fourths of the state by June, meaning above normal fire potential with drier than normal conditions. By July, it changes and shows above-normal monsoon activity.
Rickey says it could be a double-edged sword while we need the rain.
“If we do see some large wildfires this spring, our fire scars typically make the landscape more receptive to flash floods,” he said.
True Brown with the Coconino National Forest. says the agency is taking advantage of the warm and dry weather this year to clean up some forest vegetation and do prescribed burns.
He says fire crews are ready for what could be an active fire year. “We’re having those conversations earlier than we typically do,” Brown said. “Not only on the forest service side but other land management agencies and municipalities are watching all these things very closely and we’re coordinating very well to move resources down to be ready for those starts.”
Brown says it’s extremely important that the community is vigilant and making sure wildfires don’t start. He says don’t drag chains or throw cigarettes out the window. And make sure to create a defensible space around your home.
Officials also want to remind the public that nearly 70% of wildfires in Arizona last year were caused by people.
See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it.
Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here with a brief description.
Copyright 2025 KTVK/KPHO. All rights reserved.
