Forestry officials correctly predicted an increase in wildfires this year in comparison to last. And with a late start to the monsoon season, fires continue to burn across the state.
Unfortunately, 88% of those fires were human-caused.
Tiffany Davila with the Arizona Department of Forestry says the increased moisture this past winter resulted in an abundance of vegetation.
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"Now that we have this influx of grass, those fires are getting away from those residents. They're moving more quickly and spreading rapidly, and they are not able to suppress them on their own," Davila said.
Although there were more wildfires that had burned by this time last year, this year the fires have been bigger.
In 2018, 165,000 acres burned across the state. This year so far, over 235,000 acres have burned and the year is only half over.