The Pinal County Sheriff's Office said it's seeing an increasing problem with human-caused wildfires right now.
The county has had at least 25 wildfires from April 1 to May 9. The Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management (DFFM) reported all 25 were found to be human-caused, many of which were due to equipment usage, such as welding and grinding.
That's almost as many human-caused wildfires in the past month as Pinal County had all of last year.
PCSO said they've issued at least eight citations for unlawful burning in the past month or so, with at least one person getting arrested.
DFFM's Fire Behavior Analyst Byron Kimball believes the uptick in activity stems from the abnormal fuel loading in that area catching residents off guard.
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"In previous years, residents may have conducted the same activities with minimal issues. If a fire were to start, they were likely to catch it themselves with tools or water," Kimball said. "Now, as that grass and brush begin to cure, those fires are becoming more challenging for residents to suppress on their own. Fires are starting faster and spreading even quicker due to the abundance of fuel, along with hot, dry, and windy conditions."
Pinal County Lieutenant Ross Teeple said in one case in the past few weeks, a man thought he was doing the right thing when taking care of his lawn, but it actually sparked a fire.
"He was using a push mower to cut the weeds on his yard along his property line. But on rough terrain, you have a metal-bladed lawnmower, and you have rocks, we all know that it can cause a spark, which it did, and he ended up causing a fire with his lawnmower," Teeple said.
Officials say to take precautions if you're working outside, especially in construction with tools that may spark:
- Use a spark arrestor. Learn more about them here.
- Clear vegetation around your workspace
- Conduct work first thing in the morning
- Never do work that involves fire or sparks on windy days
- Always have a water source and tools to put out a fire nearby
Also, keep in mind that a burn ban is in effect in Pinal County.
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