The recent heavy rain in Arizona is bringing some risks.
A lot of vegetation is growing and with windy days like we’ve seen this week any small flame could turn into a massive disaster very quickly.
If the conditions are right areas like the Sonoran Preserve are vulnerable. The Scottsdale Fire Department send out a warning:
While rain is seen as a welcome sight in the valley, it’s not all good. With rain comes growth, with growth comes fuel.
“Unfortunately when that fuel dries out later on in the year, that becomes it’s fuel for fires.”
The more of it we have the further it can carry flames and for some areas in the valley that means thousands of acres.
“Any fire that we have we have to be extremely aggressive on, and try to get a handle on it.”
Al DiBenedetto says that’s not just to keep fire from destroying our desserts but our homes too.
“You could lose your life, you could lose your property.”
Anything from dragging a trailer, throwing out a cigarette butt, and leaving campfires burning could be the spark of a major wildfire.
So what can you do to protect your home?
Specifically, if you live near a large desert area, leave 30 feet between your walls and plants.
Firefighters call this "defensible space." It doesn’t give fires much ability to spread and gives enough space for firefighters to work with and try to keep any possible fires under control and away from you.
