Arizona’s lack of monsoons and extreme drought conditions this year have lengthened the fire season for the state as well as making fires more severe.
Wildfires have been more active this year, wreaking havoc across various parts of the country, especially in California. Arizona has seen similar troubles, as according to U.S. Drought Monitor, “Arizona and California have had their warmest April to September period ever in 126 years,” and that the monsoon season was “minimal at best.” But the environment isn’t the only cause of these fires, as human-sourced fires have had a big play in this year’s excessive amount of fires.
California was ravaged by wildfires throughout the summer, leaving skies red and air polluted with smoke across the state. This year alone, California has had 8,320 fires, with more than4 billion acres of land burnt, according to CAL FIRE. Currently, there are 22 active fires that have burnt over 1,000 acres of land, according to CAL FIRE.