Wildfire season in Arizona turned out to be mild compared to past years. Last year, 1,600 fires burned about 530,000 acres of forest in the state.

Tiffany Davila, spokeswoman for the Arizona State Forestry, said the mild season doesn’t mean conditions won’t flare up later this year. 

“We have this accumulation of growth now, these grasses across the Sonoran Desert, down into Southern Arizona. Just because we’re out of that peak season doesn’t mean we can’t have another fire start,” she says.

Davila attributes the future fire occurrences to warm temperatures and dry conditions in the state.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story has been updated to correct the number of wildfires.