inciweb.nwcg.gov

Firefighters on the scene of the Woodbury Fire in June 2019.

The Woodbury Fire northeast of Apache Junction is now more than 80% contained and evacuated residents are being allowed back home. Fire crews, meanwhile, have a different but related challenge.

“We're doing an analysis first hand, looking at the burn severity in the area," Dolores Garcia with the Woodbury Fire explained, "to see what kind of impacts could be had downstream if a large storm were to come through.”

As of Tuesday morning, nearly 200 square miles have burned in the wild lands northeast of Phoenix. That, Garcia said, sets the stage for severe flash flooding as the soil washes away when the rains arrive.

Crews only have a few weeks to work on soil retention before meteorologists predict the first heavy monsoon rains are expected in the area.