PAYSON, Ariz. — Each of the roughly 10 named wildfires started in the Tonto National Forest this year have been human-caused, according to forest officials.
Overall, in Tonto National Forest, human-caused fires outnumber natural starts 3:1. That problem and particularly plentiful and dry fuels this year has forest officials asking for the public's help to prevent fires from starting in the first place.
"It doesn't take much for that spark just to go, and then it's off to the races," Brad Widhalm, fire prevention officer with Tonto National Forest said.
The more than 4,000-acre Spring Fire near the 87 is believed to be related to target shooting. Officials also believe the human-caused Wildcat Fire, which burned more than 14,000 acres, was caused by an off-highway vehicle.
"I feel like most people when they're out and about they're - I don't know - they kind of lose track of what they're supposed to be doing once they get out into the forest or the desert," Widhalm said. "They're just like 'Oh, we're gonna go have some fun.' And they don't really realize that that fun could lead to like the Wildcat Fire starting or the Spring Fire starting or something like that."
Escaped campfires and dragging chains are also problem scenarios that can lead to large wildfires.
"If you're going to go out on a boat or whatever, you're pulling a trailer of any kind, make sure those chains are up and off the ground, that's very important, because those can definitely spark and hit the grass and cause a wildfire because that's all it takes," Widhalm said.
Now, the forest is asking everyone to take care, be observant and prepare in advance for any fire restrictions. Currently, Tonto National Forest is under Stage 1 Fire Restrictions, which prohibit most campfires, smoking in most areas, and target shooting. Fire restrictions for other forests around Arizona can be found on the specific national forest's website.
"The Sonoran Desert is very, very fragile and once it burns, it really never goes back to the same," Widhalm said.
Information about fire safety and prevention can be found here.
Arizona Wildfires
Track the latest coverage of the 2022 Arizona Wildfire Season with the current coverage on our 12News YouTube channel.