Bureau Of Land Management Implements Fire Restrictions Across Central Arizona As Woodbury Fire Rages

By Daniel Perle
Published: Friday, June 21, 2019 - 10:58am
inciweb.nwcg.gov
Woodbury Fire near Superior, Arizona.

The Woodbury Fire has burned more than 100 square miles north of Superior and is 42% contained. Residents in the Roosevelt and Roosevelt Lake Area have been told to evacuate.

With the Woodbury Fire raging, the Bureau of Land Management has implemented fire restrictions across the state. They include banning all campfires outside of agency-built sites and smoking unless inside a car, building or designated campfire site. Campers also are barred from welding and discharging firearms outside of hunting.

Tiffany Davilla with the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management said the restrictions are needed as fire season starts to heat up.

“We need to put those restrictions in place because we’re starting to see more fire pop up every single day, and our fire crews are working across the state. Most of them are assigned to the Woodbury Fire, and they’re pretty much spread thin at this point," Davilla said. 

The restrictions will impact BLM land across Maricopa, Pinal, Pima, Coconino, Navajo, Gila, Yavapai and Apache counties.