Fire & Aviation
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is responsible for fire management on 12.2 million acres of public lands across Arizona.  The agency’s professional fire management staff provides wildland firefighting for resource protection, as well as using fire as a management tool to improve the health of the land.  Wildland fire use is the management of naturally ignited wildand fire to accomplish resource management objectives for specific areas. For a more detailed explanation visit http://www.blm.gov/nifc/st/en/prog/fire/fuelsmgmt.html.
 
In fire and aviation management, the number one priority for BLM Arizona is firefighter and public safety. As a cooperator with other federal, state and local agencies and firefighting departments, the BLM assists its partners in wildland firefighting and all-hazard incidents such as earthquakes, floods and hurricanes.
 
The fire program is divided into four BLM fire zones. Each zone has a fire staff and provides fire management services to the managers within the zones.

Fire & Aviation

fire mgmtCONTACT US
 
BLM Arizona State Office
Phoenix, Arizona
602-417-9200
 
BLM Arizona Strip District Fire Zone
St. George, Utah
435-688-3200

BLM Phoenix District Fire Zone
Phoenix, Arizona
623-580-5500

BLM Gila District Fire Zone
Safford, Arizona
928-348-4400

BLM Colorado River Fire Zone
Lake Havasu, Arizona
928-505-1200 

Each fire zone provides initial attack and extended attack through dispatch offices, many of which are run by an interagency staff of professionals. When a fire exceeds initial attack capabilities, the dispatch offices place orders for fire resources to the appropriate coordination center. More information on dispatching in the southwest area can be found on the Southwest Area Coordination Center web site.

fire mgmtArizona Strip District Fire Zone

Color Country Dispatch
Phone Numbers
(435) 865-4600 or
(435) 568-7021

More than 2.7 million acres of BLM-administered public lands lie within the area known as the “Arizona Strip,” located in the northern portions of Coconino and Mohave counties, Arizona, north and west of the Colorado River. The Arizona Strip District Fire Management Program is an interagency effort between the BLM and the Dixie National Forest in Utah.
 
There is a broad spectrum of resource issues involving fire within this region, including: vegetation classification; management constraints for fighting fires in areas such as wilderness, desert tortoise habitat and grazing areas; access to remote locations; understanding the resources values to be protected; and, the overall management objectives for the environment.
 
The fire season on the Arizona Strip usually runs from May through early October, with the number of fires peaking in June and July. Lightning is the most common cause of fires, accounting for approximately 81 percent of all fires burning 96 percent of the total acres. Fortunately, nearly 90 percent of these fires burn less than 10 acres, and less than two percent consumed more than 1,000 acres.
 
Arizona Strip Links

Phoenix District Fire Zone

Phoenix Interagency Fire Center
Phone Numbers 
480-457-1551 (regular #)
480-457-1555 (24 HR) 
866-746-6516 (Toll-Free)

The Phoenix District Fire Management Zone is administered by the BLM’s Hassayampa and Lower Sonoran Field Offices. The zone’s fire program is responsible for the protection of nearly 2.4 million acres of BLM public lands and an additional 1.1 million acres within the Barry M. Goldwater Air Force Training Range. There are a variety of fuel types within this region, including the Sonoran Desert ecosystem, grass lands, desert oak/chaparral with intermixed manzanita, desert shrub and ponderosa pine. Fire season usually begins in mid-March and ends in early September, with an annual average of 61 wildfires, burning an average of 9,000 acres of BLM public lands each year. 

fire mgmtGila District Fire Zone

Tucson Interagency Fire Center
Phone Numbers
(520) 202-2710 (24 hours)

Arizona’s Gila District Fire Zone contains approximately 2.4 million acres and covers the Tucson, Safford and San Pedro Offices.  The zone sees an average of 27 fires each year on BLM public lands, with approximately 3,000 acres consumed per year. A typical fire season runs from March through September. Lightning strikes cause 60 percent of the fires that occur within the zone.

The Gila District Fire Management Zone is a full participant in the greater southeastern Arizona Interagency Fire Management Zone. In this cooperative effort, a variety of agencies have joined forces to fight wildland fires.  Participants include the BLM, Forest Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, National Park Service and Arizona State Land Department.  

Colorado River District Fire Zone

Prescott Interagency Fire Center 
Phone: (928) 777-5700 (24 hours)

BLM's Colorado River District encompasses the Kingman, Lake Havasu and Yuma Field Offices. 
The vegetation in this management unit is dominated by desert shrubs, trees and cacti. Deep upland sites have overstories of mesquite, palo verde, and ironwood, with understories of perennial and annual grasses and forbs.  In the higher elevation of the Hualapai Mountains, Pinyon and Ponderosa pines dominate the landscape.

Approximately 98 percent of fires in this zone are human caused and generally occur between the months of February and October. Most of these fires occur near main travel corridors and rivers. The 20-year annual average for all fire causes equates to 36 fires per year, burning an average of 3,000 acres per year.