The Latest: Wet Arizona winter could lead to more wildfires

PHOENIX (AP) - The Latest on this year’s Arizona wildfire forecast (all times local):

5 p.m.

Arizona fire officials and Gov. Doug Ducey say the sixth wettest winter on record in Phoenix and heavy snow in the state’s high country don’t mean this summer’s fire season will be easy.

Ducey and state Fire Management Officer John Truett said Monday that heavy rains over the state’s desert and chaparral have led to a bumper crop of grasses, wildflowers and other fine fuels. Those will dry out quickly and could lead to big fires.

The heavy snowpack in the state’s high elevation forests has helped ease a long drought, but fires will pop up there as well as summer approaches.

Ducey urged the public to be vigilant about fire sources and noted that major fires in recent years were mainly caused by human activity such as abandoned campfires.

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11 p.m.

Wildland fire forecasters are predicting some higher activity for parts of Arizona.

The state Department of Forestry and Fire Management will brief Gov. Doug Ducey and his executive staff Monday on this year’s fire season outlook.

Forest officials say the recent winter moisture across Arizona provided some much-needed relief to the state after struggling with a lack of moisture and severe drought conditions over the last couple of years.

Last year’s fire numbers dropped significantly from the previous year despite the state’s dry conditions.

In 2018, there were 2,000 wildfires for a total of 165,000 acres (nearly 66,780 hectares) burned on private, state, federal and tribal lands.

Arizona had 2,205 fires in 2017 that charred 420,000 acres (almost 170,000 hectares).