Arizona's blooming flowers are a cause for concern as wildfire season approaches
Download mp3 (8.26 MB)It’s been an unusually wet winter in Arizona, with heavy rainfall and record snowpack in the northern part of the state.
Right now, Arizonans are seeing the results of that — the mountains are covered in a blanket of green and the wildflower season is expected to be a superbloom.
But all of that green could make for an even more dangerous wildfire season. As those grasses and flowers dry out and become fuel.
John Truett is the state fire manager. He joined The Show to talk about it.
When fires do break out, the first line of defense comes from local districts, some of which remain underfunded and understaffed. Truett said his agency has been actively working on thinning fuels, but it is also short-handed.
"Fire’s part of our ecosystem, it’s always going to happen," Truett said. "Whether it happens extreme, just due to drought, or normal conditions, you still have to have the personnel to go after the fire."
He said the state is working with inmates and federal agencies on thinning projects.
