VIDEO: We’re only halfway through summer, and wildfires continue to ignite throughout the state.
Worse yet, forecasts call for things to get worse. The Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management says so far, 173,000 acres have burned statewide. That translates to about 270 square miles, or half the size of Phoenix.
At the same time in 2023, 106,541 acres were burned.
Meanwhile, the total number of fires in 2024 stands so far at 1,202, of which 260 were sparked by lightning, and 942 were human-caused.
"There’s really not one area of the state that’s not touched by fire at this point," said Tiffany Davila with the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management. "If we continue to see the monsoon storms rolling in with no precipitation, we will continue to see more starts across the state."