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Lingering hot weather and a lack of moisture coupled with fire behavior intensity warrants the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management to increase fire restrictions across northern and northeastern Arizona. Starting Friday, June 21, at 8 am, Stage 2 fire restrictions go into effect on State Trust land within Apache and Navajo Counties, as well as within Coconino County, south of the Grand Canyon. In addition, DFFM will place State Trust land in Coconino County, north of the Grand Canyon into Stage 1.
Increasingly hot and dry conditions coupled with an uptick in human-caused fire activity trigger the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management (DFFM) to impose additional Stage 1 fire restrictions on State Trust land, and in conjunction with the agency’s federal partners.
More than 100 personnel remain engaged with full suppression efforts on the Simmons Fire burning northwest of Kearny in Pinal County. Cooler overnight temperatures coupled with increased relative humidity levels kept fire activity quiet into the early morning hours. A night shift staffed with a hand crew and engines focused on the east and southeast flanks of the fire, ahead of the community of Kearny. Engine crews also conducted structure protection to properties ahead of the fire.
Within the next few weeks, the Department of Forestry and Fire Management (DFFM) begins a nearly 600-acre fuels reduction project south of Prescott Valley, northwest of Dewey, and southeast of the Stoneridge neighborhood as part of community wildfire protection and healthy forest initiatives.
The Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management (DFFM) earmarks $4.3 million in grant money for 15 Arizona fire districts to invest in critical firefighting necessities. The funding stems from Senate Bill 1720 to help address significant infrastructure and equipment needs for recognized fire districts throughout the state. Essentially, the grant funding helps supplement fire district budgets to increase public safety efforts within their communities.