Over 120,000 Arizona homes at risk of wildfire damage, report says

Abigail Celaya, Arizona Republic
·3 min read

Over 120,000 homes in Arizona are currently at risk of being damaged by wildfires, according to a wildfire risk report released this year.

A total of 121,761 homes, with a reconstruction value of $36.4 billion were at risk as of June 2023, according to the Wildfire risk report for 2023 released by CoreLogic, a California-based company that provides financial and property data solutions.

The report is a risk assessment informed by environmental characteristics, such as slope, aspect, fuel, surface composition, drought, as well as risk reductions as a result of recent wildfire activity in every region. According to the report, areas where structures and other human improvements meet and intermingle with wildland and other vegetative fuels were most at risk.

According to the report, Arizona comes in at number five for states where the most homes are at risk of wildfire damage. Ahead of Arizona was Oregon, Texas, Colorado and California at number one, with over 1 million homes at risk and a $760.8 billion reconstruction value.

Arizona, a wildfire-prone state, typically sees its peak wildfire season take place between June and July in Arizona, although in recent years that season has extended from May through early October, in large part due to increasing drought conditions.

Wildfire map: Track where fires are burning in Arizona in 2023

According to the report, these were the most wildfire-prone places in Arizona:

  • Prescott

  • Flagstaff

  • Kingman

  • Bullhead City

  • Grand Canyon National Park

  • Payson

  • Superior

  • Globe

  • Catalina

  • Tanque Verde

  • Casas Adobes

The map of the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management that shows areas most at risk to wildfires can be viewed here.

So far in 2023, Arizona has seen numerous wildfires across the state. According to Tiffany Davila, a spokesperson with the Department of Forestry and Fire Management, there have been 1,459 wildfires this year, compared to last year's 1,232 wildfires at this time.

Davila said that 135,000 acres have burned across the state this year. One of the biggest fires seen this year has been the Pilot Fire which burned 34,810 acres of land near Prescott National Park.

The report made note of the importance of having homeowner's insurance that covered wildfire damage, given that not all policies cover it.

A 2021 study by the Northern Arizona University’s Ecological Restoration Institute that surveyed residents who live in areas affected by the 2010 Schultz Fire and post-fire flooding revealed that 22.5% of them didn’t file an insurance claim and have paid on average about $12,000 out of pocket in the last decade. About 10.5% of the surveyed residents said they were still working on repairs from the damages caused by fires or floods.

According to a spokesperson with the Arizona Department of Insurance and Financial Institutions, residents should do their research and consult with an insurance agent to find the right insurance policy. It is also important to understand the insurance process and the policy in case of wildfire damage.

How do I prepare my property for a wildfire?

With wildfire season on Arizona's doorstep, it is a good time for Arizona residents to begin preparing their homes and properties to reduce wildfire risk.

Generally, remember to remove potential fuel sources, reduce the ability for your landscaping to contribute to fire, replace anything that is not fire season appropriate and relocate any items that are combustible.

Here's a checklist of items to complete before wildfire season.

How do I make my home and yard safer from a wildfire?

As wildfire season arrives, homeowners can decrease the risk of their home catching fire by making sure their houses are built with fire-proof materials. As embers can collect in the small nooks and crannies facing the outside of the home, and flames can crack windows the materials used to build homes in wildfire-prone areas are important.

Here are some areas to check on your home and recommendations from experts.

Republic reporter Angela Cordoba Perez contributed to this article.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Over 120K homes at risk of wildfire damage in Arizona