# 2021 Arizona wildfires

Wildfires across the US state of Arizona burned 524,428 acres (212,228 ha) of land in at least 1,773 fires, fueled in part by a drought, hot temperatures, and thunderstorms producing dry lightning. At one point in late June, over 20 active wildfires were burning across the state.
The total acres burned between the start of the year and the end of June was 22% more than during the same period of the preceding season, which itself was the most active in nearly a decade. The spike in wildfires in Arizona during the summer was due to an ongoing megadrought that is occurring in the Southwestern United States, as well as a heat wave with many western cities hitting record-breaking temperatures.

## Background

The Arizona wildfire season usually begins in May and lasts through mid-July, when the North American Monsoon provides the Southwestern U.S with heavy rainfall to slow down fire activity throughout the region. But in June 2021, the Telegraph Fire became the 6th largest wildfire in Arizona history. Wildfires in Arizona at the time were making headlines due to a ridge of high pressure hovering over much of the southwest and severe drought also playing a major role in the Arizona wildfire season with more than 50% of the state being in 'Exceptional Drought'. The drought in the southwest was making the job of fighting wildland fires difficult because of water shortages in the region. At the time, Arizona was also seeing record-breaking temperatures with Phoenix hitting a high of 118 °F (47 °C) on June 17. Earlier on June 9, governor Doug Ducey issued Declarations of Emergency in response to the Telegraph and Mescal fires. The declarations provided up to $400,000 (USD) for efforts of response to wildfires. From June 14 to June 20, dry thunderstorms rolled into Arizona and produced dry lighting which spawned a larger outbreak of wildfires throughout the state. The outbreak got so bad that at one point, five out of six national forests had to be closed to the public in late June. These national forests included the Coconino, Kaibab, Prescott, Tonto and Apache-Sitgreaves national forests. The only people who were allowed in the forests were firefighters and people who owned property in the forests.

## List of wildfires

The following is a list of fires that burned more than 1,000 acres (400 ha), or produced significant structural damage or casualties.
| Name | County | Acres | Start date | Containment date | Notes |
| Margo | Pinal | 1,148 | April 8 | April 13 | Human Caused; wildfire destroyed 17 structures, 12 of them were homes. |
| Bonito Rock | Apache | 1,668 | April 19 | May 6 | Cause is Under Investigation |
| Flag | Mohave | 1,265 | April 25 | June 7 | Cause is Under Investigation |
| Copper Canyon | Gila | 2,875 | May 7 | May 24 | Human Caused; started 3 miles northeast of Globe |
| Tussock | Yavapai | 5,546 | May 8 | May 24 | Human Caused – Specific cause under investigation |
| Boggy Creek | Apache | 2,945 | May 23 | May 31 | Lightning-Sparked |
| Sycamore Canyon | Pima | 1,858 | May 23 | June 4 | Cause is Under Investigation |
| McDonald Tank | Apache | 3,550 | May 23 | June 22 | Cause is Under Investigation |
| Warren | Cochise | 1,400 | May 25 | June 7 | Cause is Under Investigation |
| Spur | Yavapai | 153 | May 27 | May 30 | Human Caused; the fire destroyed 20 structures (including 13 homes) in the mining town of Bagdad |
| Mescal | Gila | 72,250 | June 1 | June 18 | Cause is Under Investigation |
| Telegraph | Pinal, Gila | 180,757 | June 4 | July 3 | Human Caused; the fire has destroyed 51 structures. It is the largest wildfire in Arizona in the 2021 wildfire season so far. |
| Slate | Coconino | 11,435 | June 7 | July 5 | Cause is Unknown; fire started 23 miles Northwest of Flagstaff |
| Shamrock | Santa Cruz | 1,104 | June 9 | June 16 | Cause is Under Investigation; burned in the Patagonia Mountains |
| Pinnacle | Graham | 34,437 | June 10 | July 16 | Cause is Under Investigation; the fire burned in the Santa Teresa Mountains |
| Cornville | Yavapai | 1,240 | June 13 | June 21 | Cause is Under Investigation; the fire burned 2 miles east of Cornville |
| Winchester | Cochise | 1,800 | June 14 | June 20 | Lightning-Sparked |
| Bear | Greenlee | 24,067 | June 16 | September 8 | Lightning-Sparked |
| Horton Complex | Greenlee | 12,263 | June 16 | July 13 | Lightning-Sparked; the fire burned within the 2011 Wallow Fire burn scar |
| Backbone | Yavapai, Gila, Coconino | 40,855 | June 16 | July 19 | Lightning-Sparked; the fire was sparked 12 miles west of Strawberry |
| Rafael | Yavapai, Coconino | 78,065 | June 18 | July 15 | Lightning-Sparked; the fire exploded in size on June 20 due to high winds |
| West Chev | Coconino | 1,170 | June 19 | July 2 | Lightning-Sparked |
| Wyrick | Navajo | 7,592 | June 19 | July 3 | Lightning-Sparked |
| Walnut | Cochise | 10,667 | June 20 | June 29 | Lightning-Sparked |
| Alamo | Santa Cruz | 4,953 | June 20 | June 30 | Fire extends into Mexico – area given is Arizona only. An additional 4,386 acres (1,775 ha) are burning in Mexico |
| MM 25 I-15 | Mohave | 1,007 | June 24 | July 2 | Cause is Under Investigation |
| Planet Ranch | La Paz, Mohave | 1,260 | June 24 | July 3 | Lightning-Sparked |
| Bottom | Graham | 6,004 | June 28 | July 14 | Lightning-Sparked |
| Middle | Yavapai | 2,792 | June 29 | July 23 | Lightning-Sparked |
| Midway | Yavapai | 1,762 | June 30 | July 16 | Lightning-Sparked |
| Tiger | Yavapai | 16,278 | June 30 | July 30 | Lightning-Sparked |
| Firebox | Apache | 1,063 | July 7 | July 23 | Lightning-Sparked |
| Snap Point | Mohave | 9,843 | July 10 | July 13 | Lightning-Sparked |
| Elements | Mohave | 1,343 | July 11 | July 18 | Lightning-Sparked |
| Lime | Mohave | 2,063 | July 12 | July 16 | Cause is Under Investigation |

## Evacuations

* Wildfires originated in April
* Wildfires originated in May
* Wildfires originated in June
* Areas evacuated
* Areas that lost structures
Margo Fire: Dudleyville
Flag Fire: Pine Lake
Tussock Fire: Fort Misery and Horsethief Basin
Spur Fire: Bagdad
Telegraph Fire: El Capitan, Dripping Springs, Miami, Top-of-the-World, Government Springs, Wind Spirit, Hagen Ranch, and Slash S Ranch
Pinnacle Fire: Klondyke and Aravaipa
Cornville Fire: Parts of Cornville (East of Page Springs Road)
Backbone Fire: Strawberry and Pine
Rafael Fire: Areas around Sycamore Canyon
Wyrick Fire: Antelope Valley and portions of Heber
West Chev Fire: Woods Canyon Lake
Walnut Fire: Residents near Dragoon
Tiger Fire: Horsethief Basin