How Arizona's landscape shapes wildfire strategy

Added: 2026-06-03

[00:00:00]All right, Chris, we'll see you then.

[00:00:01]Temperatures are going up. Wildfire risk is the same thing across Arizona.

[00:00:05]Firefighters dealing with a range of conditions here as well. Vegetation, the weather, the terrain, they all play a role in how crews attack a fire. 12 News journalist Trisha Hendricks breaks it down for us.

[00:00:19]>> Here in the Valley of the Sun and the outskirts, we see a lot of the salt cedar and the low-lying brush. But, depending on the elevation up in the high country, a dramatically different landscape. That all changes how crews fight a fire when one ignites. Every wildfire tells a different story written by the land it burns through.

[00:00:39]>> Just a little north into Payson, we jump right into pine trees and and that needle cast becomes a different thing that you have to fight. You go a little further south and you have grass for days. It's a different tactic, a different way we fight these fires.

[00:00:52]>> Incident Commander Earl Teague explains what can be challenging.

[00:00:55]>> We in Arizona have every different fuel type there is.

[00:00:59]>> In flatter more open desert terrain, crews can often get ahead of a fire, cutting containment lines and using heavy equipment to slow its spread.

[00:01:07]>> On this one, we're doing a lot of indirect. We're not going direct, right, because the fuels are too thick. We can't get guys directly on it. The dozers are trying to go as direct as possible.

[00:01:18]>> But, when a blaze moves into steeper rugged terrain, the approach shifts dramatically. Aerial support becomes a critical tool when ground crews can't safely access a fire's path. With air tankers and helicopters dropping retardant to slow the burn while firefighters work from below.

[00:01:35]>> Here in Arizona, the combination of drought conditions, dense desert scrub, and unpredictable wind patterns create some of the most challenging wildfire environments in the country. And crews train year-round to be ready for it.

[00:01:49]Tiffany DeVilla works with the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management.

[00:01:53]>> You're preparing for anywhere at anytime.

[00:01:56]>> Absolutely. And I think that's a good point you brought up is, you know, we don't just fight fire in Arizona. Like I said, we go out of state and do that.

[00:02:02]There's different vegetation types, there's different landscapes, different terrain. You're also gaining that knowledge and experience to bring back to the state of Arizona and bring back to our agency so that you can help grow and mentor other firefighters that are up and coming as well.

[00:02:16]>> Fire managers, they know two fires and no two landscapes are ever the same, but what stays constant is the preparation, the expertise, and the crews ready to adapt the moment conditions change.

[00:02:29]>> So, as a homeowner, if you live in Arizona, no matter what your backyard looks like, make sure that any dead or dying brush is removed from your property at least 30 ft. Trisha Hendricks, 12 News.