Firefighters in Green Valley and nearby communities are keeping busy. Could Mother Nature be partially to be blame?
Carl Crain, who’s been fighting fighters in Green Valley for eleven years, said most definitely.
Crain noted with dryer than normal conditions, he believes its helped spark wildland fires.
Take last Friday for example, when crews responded to a 50-acre grass fire at the University of Arizona Experimental Range.
There’s also the 150-acre blaze in Arivaca a few weeks ago that was ultimately extinguished by several fire departments.
The Green Valley Fire District has also responded to a slew of small brush fires along the freeway.
Crain said, “People being careless throwing cigarettes out the window, blown out tires causing sparks and sometimes auto accidents can start fires, hot engines get set on grass.”
As it relates to protecting property, Crain advises people to make sure debris and vegetation is kept at a safe distance.
“Cut down on minimum 30 feet from your structure from your house. On a windy like this it could get out of hand real quick especially in this dry climate that we have here,” Crain said.
The Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management is holding a workshop on Thursday at the Green Valley Fire District main headquarters.
Fire departments from throughout Southern Arizona will convene to discuss wildland fire prevention and enhance preparedness as wildfire season ramps up.