1. Home
 / Modified jun 23, 2021 10:49 p.m.

Fear of wildfires forces forest closures across Arizona

Nearly all the national forests in the state will be fully closed this week as firefighting resources run thin and fire danger remains high
by Associated Press

Catalina Mountains Coronado National Forest sunset Tucson city lights are visible at sunset from the Catalina Mountains.
AC Swedbergh/AZPM

National forests in Arizona are the go-to spots in the summer as people look to escape sweltering desert temperatures.

Now, the options for cooling off are limited. Nearly all the national forests in the state will be fully closed this week as firefighting resources run thin and fire danger remains high.

Wildfires burning across Arizona already have forced rural residents out of their homes and sent motorists on detours.

Parts of forests in other states also are off-limits, but the shutdowns in Arizona are the most widespread.

The closures are altering vacation plans for campers, anglers and mountain bikers ahead of the July 4 holiday

MORE: Arizona, Environment, Fire, News
By posting comments, you agree to our
AZPM encourages comments, but comments that contain profanity, unrelated information, threats, libel, defamatory statements, obscenities, pornography or that violate the law are not allowed. Comments that promote commercial products or services are not allowed. Comments in violation of this policy will be removed. Continued posting of comments that violate this policy will result in the commenter being banned from the site.

By submitting your comments, you hereby give AZPM the right to post your comments and potentially use them in any other form of media operated by this institution.
AZPM is a service of the University of Arizona and our broadcast stations are licensed to the Arizona Board of Regents who hold the trademarks for Arizona Public Media and AZPM. We respectfully acknowledge the University of Arizona is on the land and territories of Indigenous peoples.
The University of Arizona