The entire Tonto National Forest began emergency fire restrictions on Thursday.
The fire restrictions include bans on campfires, barbecues, fireworks and recreational shooting. Forest officials say they’re concerned over growing fire dangers, like this week’s human-caused Slate Fire, which shut down a highway.
Tonto National Forest's fire staff officer Andrew Mandell says that fire was just one consideration leading to the restrictions ,and they include decisions on "how many human caused fires we’re getting. What our fuel moistures are, current fire workload, observed fire behavior, our ability to quickly control those fires that we are getting."
The Tonto entered less restrictive fire conditions around this same time the last two years.
More Arizona Wildfires News
-
A proposal sent to the November ballot by Republican lawmakers to undercut Arizona’s teachers unions has drawn the ire of police and firefighters across the state, who believe the measure would also harm their labor organizations. -
The Pocket Fire near Sedona is now more than 70% contained. But this local business is still coping with the blaze. -
Know how to properly extinguish a campfire -
A common farming device could become a critical solution in Salt River Project's wildfire mitigation efforts. -
Residual smoke from this past weekend’s fireworks and several wildfires could cause breathing problems for some.
