Arizona fire officials and Gov. Doug Ducey say the sixth wettest winter on record in Phoenix and heavy snow in the state's high country don't mean this summer's fire season will be easy.
Ducey and state Fire Management Officer John Truett said Monday that heavy rains over the state's desert and chaparral have led to a bumper crop of grasses, wildflowers and other fine fuels. Those will dry out quickly and could lead to big fires.
The heavy snowpack in the state's high elevation forests has helped ease a long drought, but fires will pop up there as well as summer approaches.
Ducey urged the public to be vigilant about fire sources and noted that major fires in recent years were mainly caused by human activity such as abandoned campfires.
