You may think that forest fires have nothing to do with Arizona and its sheep but fires do and did play a role in the state for the livestock industry was dependent upon the forests where fires, past and present, were either manmade or nature caused. While nothing was found in any of the articles that suggested that it was campfires by sheep herders or cattlemen, some of them may have been. By its very nature, campfires were important for the men tending the sheep to cook their food. When they moved the flock of sheep maybe only a night was spent in one local and if the herder or camp tender did not totally extinguish their fire prior to moving on, it could have resulted in a fire. There were some stories where a sheep herder was responsible for a fire and was fined but as previously stated no reports were found to indicate that the fires of 1923 were the doing of carelessness on the part of a herder/camp tender. 

The Williams News reported on fires across the United States and some of the numbers of fires reported were given for the United States as a whole, I will endeavor to relate only those fires found in Arizona when possible.

A forest ranger stated that firemen were put on duty the first part of May because of the carelessness of man. He stated that if it wasn’t for these fires the firemen would not be needed until the end of June when dry electrical storms occur.  It was also reported that there were now state laws making it an offense punishable by fine and imprisonment for any individual to cause a forest fire.

The earliest fire reported in the Williams News was in mid-April five miles from Flagstaff. That fire burned 100 timber acres, obviously forest grazing area. Another fire was reported to have been started by a hobo who had started a fire in a pitchy log. This was north of Parks, an area known for sheep grazing.

In early May the livestock men pledged cooperation to keep fires out of the forest. These additional men caring for livestock were additional eyes and helping hands to fight a fire prior to it growing to a large area and additional manpower would be required to fight the fire. The livestock men realized that their need of range required them to be a willing partner in forest fire prevention. As fires decreased valuable feed land it could have permanent carrying capacity repercussions for years.  In addition, the grazing of animals, either sheep or cattle, helped, if properly grazed on a area, to reduce the vegetation before the dry season converted it into a fire trap which in turn threatened forest, ranch property and human life.

In June it was reported for Arizona that thirteen fires had occurred of which six were caused from campfires not extinguished, three were from smokers throwing either a match or their cigarette out into the grass without putting either out first, and there were three from lumbering and one undetermined. Luckily only 60 acres had burned in these thirteen fires. It could have been worse. June started the fire season and in 1923, there was much concern about fires as the high wind had dried out the vegetation early.  The Williams News did not mince words as to the carelessness of campers or smokers. It further stated, “Human carelessness causes more than three-fourths of all the forest fires in the United States, and until the percentage is reduced to a nominal figure, our forests, upon which so much of our country’s prosperity depends, will not be safe from the destructive influences of fire.”

In another article the newspaper reported that statistics showed that of all the forest in Arizona, the Coconino had the most fires over a ten-year period. Of the fifty fires reported up to the end of June with only two of them being nature caused, i.e., lightning. The rainy season had started by early July and thus there was relief by all – forest personnel, livestock raisers, farmers and merchants. But the rainy season did not mean there would be no more fires as lightning still caused some and lumbering, campfires and smokers all were contributing to the number of fires. An increase in rainfall for July, August and September helped to control fires.

By the end of the year, it was reported that Arizona and New Mexico (both reported together and no way to separate the data) had less fires in 1923 than 1922; 552 versus 899, respectively. Half of these fires were attributable to lightning and thus unpreventable.  The total area of fire damage was two-thirds of what had been burned in 1922 also. Most fires were small, less than one-fourth of an acre. The forest ranger declared that there are still too many human caused fires and more education was needed to prevent future fires.

To end this a story of one very persistent forest ranger will tell how seriously the forest service takes fire. A ranger found a still burning fire and traced a tourist all the way to Maine and brought him back to appear before the Justice of the Peace for his careless act. In 1923, the forest service always got their man!