Arizona’s wildfire season was comparatively moderate in 2026, even as record heat and dry conditions helped fuel destructive fires across much of the West. The state recorded 1,589 fires that burned nearly 65,000 acres, according to the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management. That was less than one-fifth of the acreage burned in Arizona last year. The Pocket Fire near Sedona, at about 27,400 acres, was the state’s largest blaze of the year. The relatively smaller toll came after a hot start to the year. Phoenix had its warmest March on record, with an average temperature of 80.2 degrees, and its second-warmest summer. But Arizona escaped the kind of enormous fires seen elsewhere, including last year’s Dragon Bravo Fire, which burned nearly 150,000 acres near the Grand Canyon’s North Rim. “ We had the good fortune not to have very large fires before the summer,” said Don Falk, a wildfire expert at the University of Arizona. Monsoon rain helped bring an end to the hot, dry conditions that favor fire, though precipitation was uneven across the state. Experts also point to public education aimed at preventing human-caused fires and years of work to reduce hazardous fuels in forests. Luck, they say, was part of the equation, too. The contrast with other Western states was stark. Across the country, more than 57,000 fires burned 8.6 million acres from January through September, twice last year’s acreage. Fires in Oregon and Washington burned across 2.7 million acres, led to evacuations for at least 65,000 people and destroyed more than 700 structures. Utah experienced its worst fire season in nearly two decades, with six firefighters killed. Arizona’s relative reprieve does not mean the underlying danger has passed. Rising temperatures dry vegetation more quickly and add to the long-term aridification affecting the Southwest. Climate change, experts say, is raising the baseline risk of severe fire even when weather brings a quieter season. People cause nearly 85% of U.S. wildfires, and Arizona fire officials credit public messaging about safe behavior, particularly during fire restrictions, with helping reduce preventable ignitions. “Our messaging has started to really pay dividends,” said John Truett, the state’s fire management officer. Forest treatments such as prescribed burns and thinning can also reduce the severity of future fires. Arizona’s treated acreage fell 11%, a smaller decline than in some neighboring states, and local partnerships have helped keep projects moving. The Four Forest Restoration Initiative, a coalition that includes government, tribal, business and environmental groups, is working to restore forests across a 2.4 million-acre ponderosa pine region. But those efforts are unfolding amid shrinking public-agency capacity. U.S. Forest Service staffing fell 16% over two years, and the number of acres treated nationally for wildfire risk dropped 35% from 2024 to 2025. Coconino County has taken on a larger role in cost-sharing with the Forest Service, said Joseph Hinz, a forest restoration program manager with the county’s Flood Control District. Arizona’s fire agency has a $7 million budget for wildfire work this fiscal year, Truett said, even though the state had already spent $10 million on fires in 2026. A single blaze can cost as much as $5 million to fight. Local departments also face growing demands as more people live where communities meet wildlands, leaving officials reliant on state-to-state agreements to supplement resources. “We are in this new era of hotter and drier conditions, so the baseline risk has just increased,” said Zander Evans, executive director of the Forest Stewards Guild. Experts warn that a wetter winter could spur vegetation growth that becomes fuel in the next fire season. Arizona’s comparatively mild year, they say, is no guarantee of safety in the years ahead.