Lightning strikes to blame for several wildfires burning in Arizona
More than 800 lightning ground strikes have caused wildfires to spark across Arizona so far this year.
Some of those fires are the Benchmark, Clair, Bartlett, and Wally fires.
The Skeleton Fire has burned more than 21,000 acres and is uncontained as of Monday night. The Sand Stone Fire has burned over 27,000 acres and is 82% contained.
As the sun was setting on Monday night, you could see the separate pockets of smoke coming from areas within the Tonto National Forest.
More than nine wildfires were started by Sunday night's monsoon storm, stretching fire crews thin during a busy fire season.
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"A lightning strike can actually be hotter than the surface of the sun," said Alex Young, lead meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Phoenix.
Sunday's monsoon storm brought over 800 lightning ground strikes within a 25-mile radius over a 24-hour period – sparking many fires.
"Those have grown fairly fast in just a day," said Punky Moore, spokesperson for the Tonto National Forest.
About 10% of lightning strikes end up hitting the ground, Young said, but it’s the dry desert that makes it a recipe for disaster.
"There's lightning along with, you know, this rain that's not reaching the ground," Young said. "That can increase the probability of a fire start."
Fire crews are bringing out all the big guns, calling in air tankers, choppers, scoopers, and are picking up water from Roosevelt Lake to help the fight.
"These fires are in pretty steep, rugged, rough terrain. And that just makes it very challenging for firefighters to get there and to work on them," Moore explained.
Officials with the Tonto National Forest say the number one priority is the Wally Fire burning closest to the Tonto Basin. Residents west of Highway 188 are currently on SET status.
Learn more about the state's Ready, Set, Go alert system by clicking here.