TUCSON, Ariz. — Technology was integral in fighting the fire, according to crews from the u-s forest service.
"It can be controlled from up to 55 miles away, has 15 hours of flight time and can fly well above the TFR (temporary flight restrictions), about 13,000 feet above," said CJ Woodard, of the U.S. Forest Service.
The drone provided infrared/3D mapping and high resolution photos, but the panel of experts came together to educate about how the fire may have grown to its size and what can be done keep the next one from being as severe.
"Over time vegetation is going to grow, fuels are going to accumulate and so that fire threat is going to come back," said Molly Hunter, Associate Research Professor at UArizona.
Experts said volunteers in communities like Summerhaven and others in the Catalinas have helped to give fires less fuel when they burn on the mountains.
"Things like thinning and prescribed fire. The community is doing a lot of work to make sure they're cleaning up debris and being 'fire wise,'" Hunter said.
"It allows firefighters to better defend those communities once the inevitable 'next fire' comes along."
The panel also discussed what could have caused the fire to move into lower elevations on the mountains where fires don't naturally burn.
"Before the arrival of buffelgrass and other invasive grasses our desert habitat at the base of the mountain essentially was a natural fire-break," said Kim Franklin of
the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.
Experts on fires and the environment from UArizona said they'll learn more about the spread of the bighorn fire when they can get boots on the ground.
"So we don't know at this point, how big of a role buffelgrass or other invasive grass played, but we are hoping to find out soon," Franklin said.
The University will host two more webinars on the aftermath of the fire and the future of the Catalinas.
For information on the webinars and how you can join the next two, click here.
