PHOTO: Arizona wildfires have burned more acres of land this year than what burned in 2018 and 2019 combined, according to the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management.
More than 700,000 acres have been scorched by the 1,669 fires the state has seen so far, 87% of which were human-caused, the department said. The number is the highest amount of acres burned per year compared to the last five years. Both humans and mother nature seem to be at blame for the large amount of land burned, according to the department's Public Information Officer Tiffany Davila. The heightened amount of dry foliage due to the intense heat the state has experienced definitely helped set the stage for the disastrous spread of fire.
"The moisture from 2018 coupled with the moisture from 2019 increased the fire fuel across the central portion of the state and down through southern Arizona," Davila said.