Fire crews dealing with extreme conditions as they continue to battle the Telegraph Fire

Crews dealing with extreme conditions at Telegraph Fire

Officials say conditions are so extreme, that firefighting equipment used by crews sparked a small fire at one point. FOX 10's Bailey Miller reports.

PHOENIX - With extreme heat in the forecast for many parts of Arizona, the risk for crews battling wildfires becomes even greater.

The conditions at the Telegraph Fire are extreme. It is hot and extremely dry, to the point where the machinery fire crews are using to fight the blaze have sparked flames themselves.

Fire crews say they were amazed that dozers used to create fire lines sparked and caused a small fire,

"We have had sparks created by dozer blades where they were dragging on rocks, starting a small fire." said Incident Command Center Spokesperson Dean McAlister.

Luckily, fire crews were able to put the flames out quickly.

The incident is an illustration of exactly what crews are dealing with on the frontlines. Besides the intense heat, fire crews are also dealing with dryness. Crews say they are dealing with the same amount of dryness that is usually seen at the start of July.

Now, crews are also concerned over how something small could create a fast-moving wildfire.

"Have your equipment in good shape. If you have a vehicle that is backfiring, that’s not good," said McAlister. "People need to be really careful."

Fire officials are worried about campers, and they are asking them to be extremely careful with their fires. They are also reminding people to use heavy equipment only early in the morning or at night.

Officials said it has moved fast, and the rising temperatures won’t help. Heat warnings and advisories have been issued for large parts of Arizona.

A virtual public meeting was planned Friday evening. The blaze is believed to be human-caused.

Continuing Wildfire Coverage: https://www.fox10phoenix.com/tag/weather/wildfires