Extremely dry conditions across Arizona had fire officials bracing for a dangerous wildfire season. But the Tonto National Forest north of Phoenix has had below normal fire activity.
With the recent arrival of monsoon storms in the area, it’s likely that trend will continue. This comes a year after Tonto National Forest was hit by large wildfires, as well as a fire-triggered flash flood that killed 10 people.
Carrie Templin is a forest spokesperson.
“I think we were very fortunate this year that we did not have larger fires and more destructive fires,” she said, “and we’re thankful to the public for all their cooperation during all of the restrictions and the closures to make sure that we didn’t have destructive wildfires.”
The Tonto was one of several national forests in Arizona that experienced closures this fire season, a rare move. While all those closures have now been lifted, some restrictions remain in place in the state.
