Dragon Bravo fire grows to largest wildfire in the continental US
Smoke and a pyrocumulus cloud rose at sunset from the Dragon Bravo fire at the Grand Canyon, as seen from Mather Point on Monday.
Jon Gambrell/Associated Press
A seasonal shift in winds typically brings moisture from the Gulf and the Pacific Ocean to the Southwest starting in late June through September. Thunderstorms wet the landscape, and the air is humid. Not this year. The monsoon season has been very dry so far, the third driest ever, Peterson said. Many areas of Arizona saw below-normal rainfall in July.
Get Starting Point
A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday.
Enter Email
Sign Up
A gauge in the park measured about an inch of rain in July, with most of it falling early in the month. That's more than a half an inch less than normal.
Related
:
Advertisement
Humidity levels were expected to drop into the single digits this weekend. Low humidity means the air is dry, which pulls moisture from the vegetation, making it more flammable.
There's hope, though, that the monsoon season will pick up.
'So far, the monsoon season has only existed in short bursts,' Peterson said. 'It could be delayed, and we could catch up. Longer-range models do not really support this, but it only takes a very wet week or two to change that.'
Advertisement
A lightning strike July 4 ignited the Dragon Bravo fire, which was named after a rock formation called the Dragon that's close to where the blaze started. 'Bravo' was added to the name to differentiate it from a previous Dragon fire in the same general area in 2022.
In Alaska, the Klikhtentotzna fire in Yukon-Koyukuk has burned for more than a month. It covered more than 118,000 acres as of Saturday, making it the largest in the country.
The Dragon Bravo Fire on the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park, visible at night from Mather Point on the South Rim in Grand Canyon Village, on July 14.
BRIDGET BENNETT/NYT
National Park Service officials initially allowed the Dragon Bravo fire to burn, a forest management tool used to improve the health of a forest by thinning overgrown vegetation that can serve as fuel for catastrophic fires.
In the days that followed, the fire slowly grew.
Then, on July 11, strong winds developed and the fire jumped containment lines,
Governor Katie Hobbs of Arizona has called for an investigation into why the federal government decided to manage the fire as a 'controlled burn.'
Firefighters are now actively fighting the wildfire.
'This is a full suppression,' said Lisa Jennings, a spokesperson for the Southwest Area Incident Management Team, which is overseeing the firefighting operations.
The fire has shut down the North Rim and all hiking trails in this remote area of the national park. The South Rim, which gets 90% of the park's visitors, remains open.
Advertisement
Trails between the two rims, including the Bright Angel and the Kaibab trails, are closed because of poor air quality from smoke. The mile-deep Grand Canyon cuts between the North Rim and South Rim, providing a natural fire break.
Related
:
The fire burning on the North Rim is visible 11 miles away on the South Rim.
'In the Grand Canyon Historic Village area, if you look directly north, the fire is at 12 o'clock, right across the canyon,' Jennings said. 'You can see the flames at night. You can see clouds of smoke during the day.'
Visitors gathered at Mather Point on the South Rim as smoke from the Dragon Bravo Fire rose at dawn, on July 15.
BRIDGET BENNETT/NYT
The fire has been burning through dense, mixed conifer forest with trees, including Douglas fir, more than 100 feet tall on the North Rim. The vegetation is extremely parched and flammable from the dry, windy weather.
'This fire behavior we're seeing is unprecedented,' Jennings said. 'We have had consistently gusty winds with this dry spell for the past eight days. There's lots of fuel to burn through.'
Jennings said the topography of the Grand Canyon had made fighting the fire especially challenging as wind was funneled through the canyon and the smaller finger canyons, causing the wind to accelerate. The wind has been carrying burning embers more than a mile away and rapidly spreading the wildfire.
'The canyon creates its own weather,' Jennings said. 'It's hard to even get across how complex the situation is here.'
The most active part of the fire is just outside the park in the Kaibab National Forest. Firefighters are focused on protecting the Kaibab Lodge and its guest cabins, 5 miles from the North Rim entrance. The fire is close to the lodge but on the other side of Highway 67, which is the entrance road into the North Rim.
Advertisement
This article originally appeared in
.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Gifford Fire Burns Nearly 50,000 Acres in California's Los Padres Forest
The Gifford fire had burned nearly 50,000 acres by early Monday, scorching through part of Los Padres National Forest in south-central California and putting hundreds of people under evacuation orders. The wildfire was 3 percent contained as of early Monday, officials said. Three people had been injured by the blaze, and 460 structures were threatened. The Gifford fire grew out of multiple smaller blazes along a stretch of Highway 166, a road that cuts across the forest and is known for fires caused by passing cars. Firefighters have been battling the blazes in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties since Friday, fire officials said. The cause of the fire is under investigation. Hot and dry conditions and winds helped fuel the fire's growth on Sunday, officials said. The National Weather Service had warned of winds with gusts of 15 to 25 miles per hour in the afternoon. One person sustained serious burns and was transported to a hospital in Santa Maria for treatment, officials said. Two contractors were taken to a hospital after their vehicle rolled over. One sustained moderate injuries, while the other had minor ones. With gusty winds expected through Monday, the fire risk remained elevated in Southern California, the Weather Service said. More than 1,000 personnel, as well as 50 engines and aircraft, were battling the blaze, officials said. The fire is burning in a rural, sparsely populated agricultural area, according to park officials. If the fire continues moving east, it could reach terrain recently burned by the Madre fire, which scorched more than 80,000 acres in San Luis Obispo County and was declared fully extinguished just last weekend, the authorities said.
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
California wildfire causing hazy skies in San Diego; extreme heat warning later this week
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — Parts of eastern San Diego County and Imperial County will be under an extreme heat warning later this week, while wildfires burning in central California brought some cloud coverage to San Diego over the weekend. Satellite and radar showed smoke traveling south from the Gifford Fire burning in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties that mixed with coastal cirrus clouds moving east from the Pacific Ocean to create hazy conditions across San Diego County on Sunday, according to the National Weather Service. Much of San Diego County remained at a normal to moderate air quality Sunday, reports, meaning those unusually sensitive to air pollutants could be impacted and are urged to reduce time outdoors. Heat Risk/Extreme Heat Warning Portions of Southwest Arizona and Southeast and Southern California will be under an extreme heat warning from 10 a.m. Wednesday to 8 p.m. Friday, the National Weather Service reports. The heat will peak Wednesday into Thursday, with temperatures expected to reach 106 to 118 degrees in those areas. The National Weather Service forecasts Ramona has a 65% chance temperatures could reach over 100 degrees on Thursday. When in an area under an extreme heat warning, the National Weather Service advises to limit time spent outdoors, drink plenty of water, wear lightweight and loose-fitting clothing and to keep an eye out for signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Public cooling centers are available in San Diego County for anyone needing a safe place to stay while extreme heat warnings are in place. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Yahoo
Tropical Storm Gil briefly becomes hurricane: See tracker
Tropical Storm Gil strengthened to become a hurricane in the Pacific Ocean before weakening again into a tropical storm, the National Hurricane Center said Aug. 2. As of 5 a.m. Hawaii Standard Time on Saturday, Aug. 2, Tropical Storm Gil was about 1,250 miles west of the southern tip of Baja California, far from the Hawaiian islands. There are no coastal watches or warnings in effect, according to the hurricane center, part of the National Weather Service. Gil was a tropical storm on Friday, Aug. 1, before becoming a hurricane overnight. Then, it was downgraded back to a tropical storm on Saturday morning. When a tropical storm's winds reach 74 mph, the storm officially becomes a hurricane. Maximum sustained winds decreased to 70 mph with higher gusts, forecasters said. Tropical storm-force winds extended outward to 140 miles from Gil's center. Context: A key sign of hurricane activity has flipped into high gear The storm is expected to continue weakening through the weekend, the hurricane center said. It will be come post-tropical as early as Sunday. It was moving west-northwest near 20 mph, and it was expected to continue through the weekend. By Monday, the system is forecast to move more slowly westward. Also in the Pacific, Tropical Depression Iona, over 1,400 miles west of Honolulu, continued weakening as it was expected to cross the International Date Line on Saturday, according to a hurricane center advisory. Tropical Storm Gil path tracker This forecast track shows the most likely path of the center of the storm. It does not illustrate the full width of the storm or its impacts, and the center of the storm is likely to travel outside the cone up to 33% of the time. Tropical Storm Gil spaghetti models This forecast track shows the most likely path of the center of the storm. It does not illustrate the full width of the storm or its impacts, and the center of the storm is likely to travel outside the cone up to 33% of the time. How do hurricanes form? Hurricanes are born in the tropics, above warm water. Clusters of thunderstorms can develop over the ocean when water temperatures exceed 80 degrees Fahrenheit. If conditions are right, the clusters swirl into a storm known as a tropical wave or tropical depression. A tropical depression becomes a named tropical storm once its sustained wind speeds reach 39 miles per hour. When its winds reach 74 mph, the storm officially becomes a hurricane. Prepare now for hurricanes Delaying potentially life-saving preparations could mean waiting until it's too late. "Get your disaster supplies while the shelves are still stocked, and get that insurance checkup early, as flood insurance requires a 30-day waiting period," NOAA recommends. Develop an evacuation plan: If you are at risk from hurricanes, you need an evacuation plan. Now is the time to begin planning where you would go and how you would get there. Assemble disaster supplies: Whether you're evacuating or sheltering-in-place, you're going to need supplies not just to get through the storm but for the potentially lengthy aftermath, NOAA said. Get an insurance checkup and document your possessions: Contact your insurance company or agent now and ask for an insurance check-up to make sure you have enough insurance to repair or even replace your home and/or belongings. Remember, home and renters insurance doesn't cover flooding, so you'll need a separate policy for it. Flood insurance is available through your company, agent, or the National Flood Insurance Program. Act now, as flood insurance requires a 30-day waiting period. Create a family communication plan: NOAA said to take the time now to write down your hurricane plan, and share it with your family. Determine family meeting places, and make sure to include an out-of-town location in case of evacuation. Strengthen your home: Now is the time to improve your home's ability to withstand hurricane impacts. Trim trees; install storm shutters, accordion shutters, and/or impact glass; seal outside wall openings. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tropical Storm Gil tracker, path: Storm briefly becomes hurricane
