Arizona

Preparing Arizona houses for wildfires can save them. Here’s why and what to do

Published

1 year ago

February 3, 2025

Press Room

Preparing Arizona houses for wildfires can save them. Here’s why and what to do

Arizona homeowners are facing soaring insurance costs and difficulty obtaining coverage due to the increasing risk of wildfires.
Wildfires are no longer a seasonal threat, and mitigation efforts can help protect homes and communities.
Insurance experts recommend creating defensible spaces around homes by clearing vegetation, using fire-resistant materials and maintaining roofs and gutters.

Arizona home insurance costs are soaring, and a growing number of homeowners near wildfire risk areas can’t even get insurance.

Wildfires are a big driver behind the state’s growing home insurance problems.

The Southern California fires make it clear wildfires are no longer seasonal, and the devastated area’s losses likely mean higher rates for Arizona property owners.

Wildfires aren’t just a rural problem. Metro Phoenix has had its share. In 2005, the Cave Creek Complex Fire that started in north Scottsdale burned 243,950 acres.

Many homeowners in both rural and urban areas can do more to protect their homes and communities from fire.

“Fire mitigation is key for protecting homes,” said Lori Munn, deputy director of insurance in the Arizona Department of Insurance and Financial Institutions, which formed the Resiliency and Mitigation Council to address wildfire damage prevention, home insurance problems and high costs.

Pricey home insurance, frustrated homeowners

Arizona led the nation for the biggest increase in home insurance costs between 2019 and mid-2024, according to one survey.

The Resiliency and Mitigation Council is working on getting updated information on average policy costs.

Mark Perkins’ insurance premium on his Phoenix house near South Mountain skyrocketed more than 200% from $2,500 to $7,600 last year.

“They (the insurer) said there was a 35% increase in rates across the board in Arizona, and the rest was due to perceived increase in fire risk,” he said.

He said the “desert there is pretty sparse” near his house.

Perkins switched insurers and kept his costs close to what they had been the previous year.

Insurers aren’t supposed to pass costs from natural disasters outside Arizona to Arizona homeowners.

“We don’t allow insurers to use losses on a hurricane in Florida to raise rates in Arizona,” said Tom Zuppan, property insurance analyst at the Arizona Department of Insurance and Financial Institutions.

But that’s hard to regulate.

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Wildfires devastate ecosystems and communities alike and can be ignited unintentionally. Here are 7 ways you can accidentally start a wildfire.

The Republic

Homeowners jumping through ‘a lot of hoops’ for lower insurance rates

Since 1990, the number of Arizona houses in Wildland Urban Interface areas, known as WUIs, has more than doubled.

Those areas, where development and vacant land meet, are at high risk for wildfire, said Bill Boyd, deputy director of the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management.

He said fire mitigation efforts are key to addressing Arizona’s home insurance problems.

New River homeowner Mark Dorsey recently “jumped through a lot of hoops” to get his insurance renewed.

He had to provide distances from his home to fire stations and hydrants, and photos of all sides of the house after cutting a lot of brush and trees to create a “buffer zone.”

“It was pretty nerve-wracking,” Dorsey said.

Some Maui and Southern California homeowners, who protected their homes with the right building materials and cleaned up weeds and other vegetation, were able to save their houses.

In the 2013 deadly Yarnell Hill Fire near Prescott, 60 homes with brush cleared around them survived while more than 500 others were destroyed. Arizona began funding wildfire mitigation work after that fire that killed 19 firefighters.

What homeowners can do to mitigate wildfire risks

Some insurers may be more willing to cover houses if the owners try to reduce wildfire risks, say insurance experts.

There’s no data yet on how effective mitigation work is in lowering rates or retaining a policy, but the Mitigation Council is also working on getting that.

Insurance and fire experts say mitigation efforts are important not just for individual property owners. Communities should work together on mitigation, they say, because embers move quickly from home to home, driving wildfires like the ones in the Los Angeles area.

Several groups and government agencies offer mitigation guidance, including Firewise USA, FEMA, the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes and local fire departments.

Kate Stillwell, co-founder of the app Firebreak Risk, which identifies homeowners’ biggest wildfire risks and provides solutions, said mitigation work can be overwhelming for property owners and expensive.

She said DYI mitigation work costing $200 or less that homeowners can do on weekends is the most popular.

Fire mitigation strategies homeowners can undertake include:

Keep yards clear of flammable debris.
Move firewood away from structures.
Build with fire-resistant material, including composite, clay, metal, brick and concrete.
Limit flammable plants and trees within 100 feet of the home, which is considered the standard space needed to defend from a wildfire.
Trim branches that overhang a home, porch or deck.
Get dual-paned, tempered glass windows.
Remove flammable materials from carports.
Keep roofs and gutters free of leaves and pine needles.

But mitigation is tough for some homeowners to maintain, and it doesn’t always help get a property insured or lower rates.

Randy Scott owns a Pinetop home and said a lot of trees near his community were cut down in efforts to stop or slow fires.

Despite those efforts, he said his community’s insurance policy wasn’t renewed in 2023. To get insurance, the annual premium quadrupled from $50,000 to $200,000. The new policy also provides less coverage.

“The previous insurer said it wasn’t renewing because of our wildfire rating,” said Scott, who is president of his community’s homeowner association. “It’s hard to have to tell residents they can’t grill on their patios or store their fireplace logs outside.”

Reach the reporter at catherine.reagor@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8040. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @CatherineReagor.

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Arizona

Arizona Lottery Pick 3, Fantasy 5 results for March 1, 2026

Published

7 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

Arizona Lottery Pick 3, Fantasy 5 results for March 1, 2026

The Arizona Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at Sunday, March 1, 2026 results for each game:

Winning Pick 3 numbers

6-4-2

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Fantasy 5 numbers

01-07-11-18-28

Check Fantasy 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Triple Twist numbers

12-17-23-31-37-42

Check Triple Twist payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news and results

What time is the Powerball drawing?

Powerball drawings are at 7:59 p.m. Arizona time on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.

How much is a Powerball lottery ticket today?

In Arizona, Powerball tickets cost $2 per game, according to the Arizona Lottery.

How to play the Powerball

To play, select five numbers from 1 to 69 for the white balls, then select one number from 1 to 26 for the red Powerball.

You can choose your lucky numbers on a play slip or let the lottery terminal randomly pick your numbers.

To win, match one of the 9 Ways to Win:

5 white balls + 1 red Powerball = Grand prize.
5 white balls = $1 million.
4 white balls + 1 red Powerball = $50,000.
4 white balls = $100.
3 white balls + 1 red Powerball = $100.
3 white balls = $7.
2 white balls + 1 red Powerball = $7.
1 white ball + 1 red Powerball = $4.
1 red Powerball = $4.

There’s a chance to have your winnings increased two, three, four, five and 10 times through the Power Play for an additional $1 per play. Players can multiply non-jackpot wins up to 10 times when the jackpot is $150 million or less.

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

All Arizona Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $100 and may redeem winnings up to $599. For prizes over $599, winners can submit winning tickets through the mail or in person at Arizona Lottery offices. By mail, send a winner claim form, winning lottery ticket and a copy of a government-issued ID to P.O. Box 2913, Phoenix, AZ 85062.

To submit in person, sign the back of your ticket, fill out a winner claim form and deliver the form, along with the ticket and government-issued ID to any of these locations:

Phoenix Arizona Lottery Office: 4740 E. University Drive, Phoenix, AZ 85034, 480-921-4400. Hours: 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, closed holidays. This office can cash prizes of any amount.

Tucson Arizona Lottery Office: 2955 E. Grant Road, Tucson, AZ 85716, 520-628-5107. Hours: 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, closed holidays. This office can cash prizes of any amount.

Phoenix Sky Harbor Lottery Office: Terminal 4 Baggage Claim, 3400 E. Sky Harbor Blvd., Phoenix, AZ 85034, 480-921-4424. Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Sunday, closed holidays. This office can cash prizes up to $49,999.

Kingman Arizona Lottery Office: Inside Walmart, 3396 Stockton Hill Road, Kingman, AZ 86409, 928-753-8808. Hours: 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, closed holidays. This office can cash prizes up to $49,999.

Check previous winning numbers and payouts at https://www.arizonalottery.com/.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by an Arizona Republic editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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Arizona

Here’s how to give public comment on future Colorado River plans

Published

19 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Here’s how to give public comment on future Colorado River plans

PHOENIX — After years of negotiations, Arizona still doesn’t know what its long-term water future will look like, and now the federal government is preparing to step in.

States across the Colorado River Basin have failed to reach a deal on how to share the shrinking river after current operating rules expire in 2026. With no state-led agreement in place, federal officials are moving forward with their own plan, one that could bring steep cuts to Arizona’s water supply.

And for Arizonans, the clock is ticking to weigh in. Public comment remains open until March 2. To submit your comment on what the government should do, send your comments in email to crbpost2026@usbr.gov.

Additional information is available online. The project website can be accessed here, along with links to YouTube videos published by the government, recorded in January and February which walk through of the options available.

Many Arizona leaders have already offered their public comments, which are overwhelmingly negative.

“We were very disappointed with that document,” said Brenda Burman, the Central Arizona Project General Manager “If any of those alternatives were implemented, it would be very difficult, and perhaps devastating for Arizona.”

Arizona’s top Colorado River negotiator, Tom Buschatzke, echoed those concerns.

“None of those alternatives are very good for the state of Arizona,” Buschatzke said. “I’m not seeing how we’re going to break that stalemate.”

Congressman Juan Ciscomani also criticized the proposals, saying the impacts of Colorado River cuts extends into Pinal, and Pima counties.

“That’s not an acceptable solution for us,” Ciscomani said. “We want to play ball, but we want to make sure everyone across the board uses less and becomes more efficient.”

Some of the federal alternatives would reduce Arizona’s Colorado River supply by 40%, 50%, or in the most extreme case up to 70%.

Experts at ASU Kyl Center for Water Policy say part of the problem lies upstream.

“The reason for this current impasse is because the upper basin states have refused to take cuts in their Colorado River use,” said Sarah Porter, the center’s director.

Upper Basin states like Colorado and Utah rely on different water rules than Arizona and other Lower Basin states, complicating negotiations that have dragged on for years.

Arizona has already been living with cuts for several years. Since 2021, the state has faced an 18% reduction in Colorado River water deliveries due to a Tier 1 shortage declaration. Most of those cuts have fallen on Central Arizona Project users, including agriculture and some tribal communities.

Buschatzke argues that pushing Arizona into deeper reductions would violate long-standing Western water law.

“We will be protecting the state of Arizona,” he said. “And if that has to be litigation, it will be litigation.”

That means a lawsuit against the federal government, or upper basin states is now a real possibility if the final plan moves forward unchanged. The state legislature has put $3 million in a state fund for potential litigation on the Colorado River.

After the comment period closes, the federal government is required to review public feedback and issue a formal ‘Record of Decision’, likely sometime this summer. Advocacy groups say public feedback matters.

“I just encourage Arizonans to look at this document, understand what that means for your family, your businesses, and what it means for the future,” said Kyle Roerink of the Great Basin Water Network. “Then figure out if you want to advocate for one scenario over another.”

A new operating plan must be in place by October 1, setting the rules for how the Colorado River will be managed for years to come, and shaping Arizona’s water future in the process.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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Arizona

Arizona Lottery Powerball, The Pick results for Feb. 28, 2026

Published

1 day ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

The Arizona Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026 results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers

06-20-35-54-65, Powerball: 10, Power Play: 4

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning The Pick numbers

09-12-15-25-31-35

Check The Pick payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 3 numbers

6-1-8

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Fantasy 5 numbers

07-10-22-30-36

Check Fantasy 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Triple Twist numbers

08-09-14-17-30-41

Check Triple Twist payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news and results

What time is the Powerball drawing?

Powerball drawings are at 7:59 p.m. Arizona time on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.

How much is a Powerball lottery ticket today?

In Arizona, Powerball tickets cost $2 per game, according to the Arizona Lottery.

How to play the Powerball

To play, select five numbers from 1 to 69 for the white balls, then select one number from 1 to 26 for the red Powerball.

You can choose your lucky numbers on a play slip or let the lottery terminal randomly pick your numbers.

To win, match one of the 9 Ways to Win:

5 white balls + 1 red Powerball = Grand prize.
5 white balls = $1 million.
4 white balls + 1 red Powerball = $50,000.
4 white balls = $100.
3 white balls + 1 red Powerball = $100.
3 white balls = $7.
2 white balls + 1 red Powerball = $7.
1 white ball + 1 red Powerball = $4.
1 red Powerball = $4.

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

To submit in person, sign the back of your ticket, fill out a winner claim form and deliver the form, along with the ticket and government-issued ID to any of these locations:

Tucson Arizona Lottery Office: 2955 E. Grant Road, Tucson, AZ 85716, 520-628-5107. Hours: 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, closed holidays. This office can cash prizes of any amount.

Check previous winning numbers and payouts at https://www.arizonalottery.com/.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by an Arizona Republic editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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