On several mornings last week, residents in Cottonwood could notice a faint haze over the city, which was caused by smoke near Flagstaff. The Coconino branch of the U.S. Forest Service conducted prescribed fire burns on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, April 23, 25 and 26, during which more than 4,000 acres of land was treated to clear flammable brush in preparation for fire season.
With summer approaching, and hot and dry temperatures on the horizon, residents of the Verde Valley are encouraged to take precautions to prevent the possibility of fires in the area. Therefore, on April 20, the Prescott National Forest upped its fire danger to Stage I fire restrictions, which puts a ban on the lighting of fires, smoking or firearm discharge except in strictly regulated areas.
“There has been no appreciable amount of precipitation since the end of last summer’s monsoons, and the little bit of rain and snow we received in January and February did nothing to relieve the situation,” said Pete Gordon, fuels, fire and aviation staff officer for the Prescott National Forest, in a press release. “Much of the state of Arizona is in extreme drought with a forecast of below normal precipitation and above normal temps through the end of May. Our fire danger indicators are quickly moving toward significant levels. This means that wildfires will easily ignite and quickly become fires that may be difficult to control.”
According to Chief Nazih Hazime of the Verde Valley Fire District, the slight upside of the lack of precipitation is that the brush was not able to grow as much as it used to in wetter years.
“We may have more fires, but they’re not going to be high fuel fires,” Hazime said. “It won’t be trees or high brush. It’s going to be low brush.”
This fire season, there have not been any notable fires in the Verde Valley, but there was a small fire near Cornville a few weeks ago. However, the fear of small fires growing bigger with frequent high winds remains a concern.
According to Hazime, the most important precaution is to prevent fires from starting carelessly.
He noted the importance in being aware to the obvious ways fires can be started, such as campfires and smoking, but also some way people may not be aware of, such as chainsaws, grinding or metal dragging from cars.
Outside the Verde Valley, neighboring areas are experiencing the dangers of wildfires. On Friday, April 27 the Tinder Fire near Payson started, and according to Incident Information System, the fire has engulfed more than 8,000 acres of land, has destroyed several structures and led to evacuations of nearby communities. Over 500 firefighters were dispatched to deal with the wildfire.
Verde Valley fire officials encourage residents to be prepared in the case of a similar fire were to happen in the area.
“Prepare now,” said Hazime. “Be ready within your community, whatever the challenges are. Make sure you got things for your pets and prescriptions and whatever paper documents are important. Be alert. If there’s significant danger in your area, you need to be aware of that, so make sure you’re connected to get that information. Then go, evacuate.
“When it’s time to go is not the time to gather your stuff. That should already be assembled.”
Jon Hecht can be reached at 634-8551 or email jhecht@larsonnewspapers.com
