2020 named one of Arizonaâs worst wildfire seasons in last decade
KOLD 10 p.m. show - recurring - clipped version
By KOLD News 13 Staff | January 27, 2021 at 12:06 PM MST - Updated January 27 at 10:51 PM
TUCSON, Ariz. (KOLD News 13) - The Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management reports 2020 as one of the worst wildfire seasons in the last decade due to unseasonably warm conditions, a lack of moisture, an overabundance of fine fuels and increased recreational traffic across the state.
In 2020, 2,520 wildfires burned 978,519 acres of state, federal and tribal lands. Of those fires, wildland fire investigators say 82% were human-caused. As compared to 2019, 1,869 wildfires burned 384,942 acres on all land jurisdictions. In 2018, 2,000 wildfires burned an estimated 165,000 acres.