SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Very dry conditions and hot temperatures are keeping firefighters on high alert for any potential wildfire starts in the Valley.
The Scottsdale Fire Department said they're working on fire prevention daily by patrolling the community in their brush trucks.
Dave Folio, a Scottsdale Fire Department Public Information Officer, said local construction crews have been a recent concerning cause for fire starts. Folio said there have been at least eight fire starts by construction crews recently.
And they're also very concerned about fires that go unreported at the beginning, which puts them at risk of burning out of control.
In 2023, Scottsdale Fire said a construction crew caused the Diamond Fire. That blaze forced more than 1,000 people to evacuate their homes. So now, fire crews are asking anyone who sees a fire to call the fire department right away. Scottsdale fire is cross-trained to fight urban and wildland fires, and they want to put out those blazes as soon as they start.
Folio said they have several brush trucks that patrol the area. They do that to protect lives, homes and the McDowell Sonoran Preserve. The preserve has more than 1,000 species and 220 miles of trails.
Their patrols are called hazardous vegetation prevention. Crews use technology to track homes that are not giving them enough defensible space to fight fires. It allows prevention teams to follow up with neighbors and educate them on how to clear their yards.
“Last month if you do a 30 period day, in Pinal County and Maricopa County, last year they burned nine fires for like 100 acres," Folio said. "This year we’ve already passed like 27 fires for that same month and we’re like 30,000 plus acres burned. It’s definitely an active fire season for everybody involved.”
While on patrol with Scottsdale Fire, Rod Register was outside clearing his property of chamomile, which could put his property at risk if a wildfire sparked nearby. Register has about two and a half acres of land in North Scottsdale. He said he clears his yard every year so it's Firewise and there's enough defensible space around his home.
“I don’t want a fire on our property," Register said. "We had one a few years ago on Hayden Road. It was pretty bad. It rushed here quick. Just fire prevention. Trying to save our house and not cause anybody else any grief.”
Scottsdale Fire said a recent fire start grew into three acres quickly and crews were able to get a handle on it. They’ve also assisted Cave Creek and assisted in the Tonto National Forest on blazes this season. Firefighters are asking neighbors to keep their yards clear of hazardous vegetation just like Register does, to help them put out blazes as soon as they start.
The City of Scottsdale has wildland fire prevention tips on its website for neighbors looking to protect their homes and property.
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