Idaho fire and land leaders joined Gov. Brad Little at the Statehouse Tuesday to express concerns about the upcoming fire season, citing a statewide drought and rapid vegetation growth as key risk factors.Record-breaking rain in April accelerated vegetation growth across the state, creating an abundance of fuel for potential wildfires. Combined with drought conditions, fire experts warn that millions of acres could burn across Idaho this summer.Kurt Carpenter, Fire Chiefs Association president, said the threat is significant."You have to start realizing that the risk of wildfires is so great in our state," Carpenter said.Little said the combination of dry conditions and heavy fuels raises the likelihood of major fire activity in the coming months."That's a gauge of the intensity of fires ... given how dry the heavy fuels are, there's a risk that we'll have significant fires in July this year," Little said.In response, Gov. Little is collaborating with the Department of Lands and the Fire Chiefs Association to improve dispatch times and better understand the needs of emergency responders. Little said this year marks a milestone in preparedness."This is one of the first years we've been 100% staffed. All our authorized positions, we got them funded," Little said, "We got them funded, we've got them trained, we've got them equipped, which is really important given the magnitude of the drought this year."All Idahoans are urged to be responsible when recreating outdoors and to stay vigilant to help prevent wildfires.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. ...read more read less