The 2020 Arizona wildfire season was a series of
wildfire
A wildfire, forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire or rural fire is an unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable fire in an area of Combustibility and flammability, combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire ...
s that burned across the state of
Arizona
Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
. The season is a part of the
2020 Western United States wildfire season. With 2,520 fires burning of land, it was the largest wildfire season in Arizona since 2011. Wildfires occur year-round in the state but are most numerous and typically burn the largest swaths of land during spring and summer. Peak fire season in the Southwest typically runs from May, when conditions are windy, hot, and dry, through mid-July, when the
North American Monsoon
The North American monsoon, variously known as the Southwest monsoon, the Mexican monsoon, the New Mexican monsoon, or the Arizona monsoon is a pattern of pronounced increase in thunderstorms and rainfall over large areas of the southwestern Uni ...
provides the region with precipitation to slow fire activity.
By the end of the year, more than fifty fires larger than had burned within the state. However, the most notable fire of the season, the Ocotillo Fire, burned only over four days and threatened the town of
Cave Creek. It destroyed 20 buildings, including 8 homes.
Early outlook
In April, the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management expected a "potentially active" fire season reminiscent of the 2019 season. Increased grass load from a wet winter is expected to contribute to an elevated risk of fire in the Central Arizona deserts. Southwest Coordination Center Predictive Services forecasted an Above Normal risk for significant wildland fires from May through July for most of Arizona (excepting the Colorado Plateau), with fire potential returning to Normal by August with the arrival of a climatologically average monsoon. They cited above normal fine fuel loading in southern Arizona deserts and an active weather pattern through mid-June to support this risk. A fire department helicopter crashed while bringing supplies to firefighters, killing the pilot.
List of wildfires
The following is a list of fires that burned more than , or produced significant structural damage or casualties.
See also
*
List of Arizona wildfires
References
External links
Arizona Interagency Wildfire Prevention – Wildfire NewsSouthwest Coordination Center (SWCC)
{{Arizona wildfires
Arizona, 2020