Wildfire season in the Southwest is underway and the region has already seen several blazes, including the 20,000-acre Greer Fire in Arizona’s White Mountains. The latest federal wildfire forecast predicts above-normal potential in much of the West and even some southeastern states.
This year, there’s also heightened concern that Trump administration staff cuts at the U.S. Forest Service could hinder firefighting efforts.
KNAU News Director Ryan Heinsius discussed the issues with host A Martínez on NPR's Morning Edition.
A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
... Watching all of this closely is Ryan Heinsius, the news director at KNAU in Flagstaff, Arizona. So, Ryan, your station has been reporting on a pretty big fire there in Arizona already, which the U.S. Forest Service responded to. How's that going?
RYAN HEINSIUS, BYLINE:
Yeah, this was a big one, more than 20,000 acres in the rural White Mountains of eastern Arizona. At its height, more than 700 personnel were fighting it. And they pulled off what I think was a bit of a miracle by building miles of fire line in anticipation of heavy winds. You know, fortunately, they were successful in keeping the fire from progressing toward local communities.
MARTÍNEZ: All right, that's good. That's good news. Now, it sounds like concerns about the federal response might not kick in unless it's a busy summer for fires, and lots of places are competing for personnel to fight them. What's the forecast there?
HEINSIUS: Well, forecasters say the Southwest — along with parts of southern Nevada, Utah and Colorado — are facing higher than normal potential for wildfire over the next month or so. You know, a lot of people in Rocky Mountain states — including us here in Flagstaff — are worried because it was a below-average year for snowfall, and that can really create especially dry conditions. Elevated fire danger is also predicted in parts of central and southern California and will stretch up into eastern Washington and the Idaho panhandle, along with parts of Texas and Oklahoma. Even some mid-Atlantic states, Minnesota and Florida, are facing possible wildfires.
MARTÍNEZ: Yeah, living in Los Angeles, Ryan, I know that we are constantly in fire season. It doesn't matter what time of the year it is. Now, the Trump administration says there's nothing to worry about because the jobs that have been cut from the Forest Service were not from front-line firefighting staff. But a lot of people say it's not that simple. So what are you hearing?
HEINSIUS: Well, it really remains to be seen how layoffs will affect firefighting this season. And, yes, it's true that front-line firefighters were spared from the DOGE staffing cuts earlier this year. But an unknown number of Forest Service employees who do contribute to firefighting work were affected, those with what are known as red cards. These are employees who don't typically work in fire but can hop in if needed. They're especially important with wildfire starts that are near communities to really beef up the firefighting staff. Full-time firefighters are still out there doing the hard work, of course. But there's a worry that the hotshot crews and others could ultimately be short-staffed, and when these big wildfires do pop up, the personnel just won't be there to adequately respond.
MARTÍNEZ: Wow. All right, so what are you going to be watching for as this fire season unfolds?
HEINSIUS: We're going to see what the federal response is like, of course. Sources have been telling NPR that some of the people who either chose to leave or were fired from the Forest Service are among the most experienced in leading wildland firefighting crews. Some of those folks with the red cards I talked about, even though firefighting isn't their full-time job, they spend a lot of time doing it and are in leadership positions.
MARTÍNEZ: That's Ryan Heinsius, the News Director at KNAU in Flagstaff, Arizona. Ryan, thanks.
HEINSIUS: Thank you, A.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
