Arizona as we all know is famous for The Grand Canyon. Is that all? No… Arizona has a wide range of diverse geography including, deserts, deep canyons, rocky mountains, volcanic mountain ranges, and anything that screams “arid”. According to the geography, half of Arizona is semiarid while one-third is arid which is more than enough to provoke the blaze.
With the landscape and weather as Arizona, the wildfires are prone to happen, year after year on the hottest month – June. Arizona never missed a year without wildfire. Approximately, 1600 wildfires had burned down Arizona’s 700,000 acres so far.
In conclusion, the wildfires are common happenings in Arizona as if the old ice cream truck visited the neighborhood once every year. The people are used to the extreme climate and the blazes as they had been part of their lives for ages.
The Arizonians knew what to do and when to do in the wildfire crisis. The popular firefighters have the perpetual training to withstand any situation that comes by with the flames.
The largest one in the history of the state was the Wallow fire started on May 29, 2011, and by July 8, 2011, when it was contained, it had engulfed 538,049 acres of Arizona and New Mexico combined. Two more wildfires made up to the top 10 list in history after that – Bush fire 2020 claiming the 5th place while Bighorn fire of the same year, the 7th.
For the record, the wildfire that is considered as the dreadful one to this date, occupying the throne as the crown of the largest wildfire list is the Black Friday Bushfire, which burned for the whole summer in 1939, devastatingly destroying most of Australia’s Victoria state. 71 deaths were recorded along with the ravaged 60 structures.
The foolish human intervention started most of the wildfires in Arizona. Arson, campfire, matches are handled carelessly, insensibly which puts others in grave danger. Sometimes nature plays a trick in accomplishing its suicide mission. Either heat or lightning fuels the spark – which in turn and without any further provocation, triggers the blaze.
At present, three wildfires cropping down Arizona’s breathing land are the Telegraph fire, the Mescal fire, and the Slate fire. Only one entered the race to the top mountain and claimed the 9th position – The telegraph fire.