Lack of rain contributing to Arizona wildfires; fire crew concerns change

PHOENIX (AZFamily) — In Arizona, hundreds of firefighters are on the fire lines right now northeast of Payson fighting the Horton Fire.

Even though it’s January and wildfires may not seem top of mind, firefighters are urging all of us to take extra steps to prevent more fires from sparking.

Right now, the Horton Fire is not directly threatening any homes or buildings, but some areas northeast of Payson are on standby to evacuate if the fire comes their way.

Fire crews say now is the time to act. Homeowners should clear vegetation around their property, and anyone recreating in the area should ensure they are completely putting out campfires.

The Horton fire has doubled in size to more than 8,000 acres with 23% containment.

Tiffany Tiffany Davila with the Department of Forestry and Fire Management says Arizona no longer has a fire season. Wildfires occur year-round.

“It’s not typical,” Davila said. “At this time of the year we should have moisture and cooler than normal December and January temperatures but it’s unfortunately not what we’re seeing.”

But flames growing at this time of the year create its own challenges.

“At this time of the year, for fires in general, we really rely heavily on our seasonal workforce,” she said. “The hot shot crews are down, and the seasonal employment is down.”

RELATED: Record-breaking heat fueling rare winter Horton Fire near Payson

Bladen Breitreiter is the incident meteorologist on the Horton fire. The National Weather Service deploys these meteorologists to different fires across the region.

“You don’t necessarily expect to be coming out to a wildfire end of December into January,” he said.

With nearly 500 firefighters battling the Horton fire, Breitreiter says fire crews are not only battling rough terrain but are also presented with new and different concerns over fighting a fire in the summer.

“Usually, you have these very gusty, dry winds and it’s hot and its dehydration producing but in this case, we’re worried about are we going to have to deal with slick road conditions with the crews coming off later in the night? Are we going to have to deal with the potential for hypothermia,” he said. “It’s incredibly dangerous terrain. There are whole sections where you just can’t safely put anybody.”

Fire officials believe a person started the Horton fire, but they aren’t exactly sure how.

While Davila says it’s too early to know what this upcoming year could look like, the number of fires last year far surpassed 2023’s numbers. In 2024, Davila says 2,190 fires burned 282,989 acres. In 2023, 1,837 fires burned 188,483 acres.

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