Every year the Southwest United States girds for the wildfire season. Fires are a naturally occurring phenomena of this arid environment. The cycle begins when winter rains end and vegetation dries during the spring. Summer lightning was once the cause of most wildfires, but now, alas, most are started by careless (or malevolent) humans.

Statistics published by the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) in Boise, Idaho, indicate that while the number of wildfires in the US this year is in line with the 10-year average, the acreage burned is startlingly higher.

The map below shows active fires in the Southwest as of June 12th, 2002. The relative size of the fire is indicated by the size of the red circle. To see an animation of the weekly status of fires from February 13th to July 10th, click on the Start button to the lower right of the map.