‘Fire clouds' springing up around the Grand Canyon
The Dragon Bravo fire near the Grand Canyon has become the largest wildfire in the continental U.S. this year, consuming 111,000 acres and destroying the historic lodge at Grand Canyon National Park.
The fire is only nine percent contained, as extreme heat and strong winds continue to fuel the blaze, according to the latest update.
Both it and the Monroe Fire, burning further north near Monroe, Utah, are generating pyrocumulus clouds — sometimes called "fire clouds" — that form when air over a fire becomes superheated and rises in large, smoky columns.
The massive clouds are visible for hundreds of miles and resemble the shape of an anvil.
The fires can also generate pyrocumulonimbus clouds, which trigger thunderstorms, and may further fuel the wildfires.
"If they get high enough, they can also create downdrafts, and that's something we really watch out for because that can quickly spread the fire and can be very dangerous for firefighters who are doing their work on the ground," Lisa Jennings, a spokesperson for the Southwest Area Incident Management Team, told CBS News.
Several fire crews battling the Monroe fire were forced to pull back on Wednesday when fire clouds created dangerous conditions on the ground.
"Think of the fire as kind of like a hot-air balloon, so it adds buoyancy and things rise as a result," Derek Mallia, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Utah who studies fire clouds, told CBS News.
"You get this towering thunderstorm over the fire, and just like any other thunderstorm it gets really windy underneath it. Because it's the West, these thunderstorms tend to be very dry."
If that's not frightening enough, a fire tornado spun up in Utah and tore through a neighborhood with wind speeds of 122 mph, according to the National Weather Service.
Mallia said that fire clouds are likely to appear more frequently due to climate change driven by the human burning of fossil fuels. Climate change is producing longer fire seasons, drought conditions, and extreme weather events, as we're seeing play out in the southwest.
The temperature and weather conditions in the southwest are continuing to fuel the fires and erasing the gains firefighters have made in containing the blazes.
The Dragon Bravo fire crossed a threshold recently, becoming what the U.S. Forest Service calls a "megafire." Megafires earn that frightening title when they reach more than 100,000 acres in size.
Driving around the totality of the fire would take about as long as driving from New York to Washington, D.C.
According to fire officials, the blaze in Arizona is continuing to push north. In Utah, the Monroe fire has consumed approximately 50,000 acres and the state's governor, Spencer Cox, said "terrible conditions" are continuing to fuel the blaze.
'These terrible conditions that are making it impossible for us to get ahead of this fire exist in every corner of the state right now,' Cox said. 'It would be very easy to have more fires like this one, so we need people to be incredibly cautious.'
The Monroe fire is only seven percent contained.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Forbes
4 minutes ago
- Forbes
Air Quality Plummets In Minneapolis And Chicago Amid Canadian Wildfires
Hundreds of fires are burning across Canada as of Saturday, with smoke from the blazes worsening air quality in the Midwest, ranking Chicago and Minneapolis among the world's most polluted cities. Air quality alerts have been issued across most of the Midwest, and hundreds of wildfires are burning across Canada. Star Tribune via Getty Images Air quality advisories have been issued in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska and Michigan, as each state warned Canadian wildfires would make the air 'unhealthy' for sensitive groups, or people with preexisting conditions like asthma, heart or lung disease. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency warned of worsening air quality across the northeastern section of the state, with the highest levels of 'unhealthy' readings near Duluth, Hibbing and around Minneapolis. An air quality advisory will remain in effect in Wisconsin through Saturday, officials said, noting conditions could continue to worsen through Sunday as wildfire smoke potentially moves farther south. The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency said air pollution and air quality alerts are in effect in and around Chicago as wildfire smoke 'remains in the region,' as officials warned those with preexisting conditions should reduce exposure by shortening the amount of time spent outdoors. Minneapolis ranks as the third-most polluted major city in the world, according to the global air quality tracker IQAir. The city's level of PM 2.5—airborne particles less than 2.5 microns in diameter—stood at 134 as of Saturday morning, ranking the city ahead of Doha, Qatar, and behind Kolkata, India, and Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, as the most-polluted cities. Chicago ranks as the ninth-most polluted city, with a PM 2.5 level of 105. Minneapolis briefly became the world's most polluted city in 2024 following another series of Canadian wildfires. Tangent Fire weather alerts have been issued in parts of Utah and Colorado, where the National Weather Service warned of high winds and lower humidity. The Monroe Canyon Fire in Utah has burned more than 55,000 acres and is only 5% contained as of Saturday, as state officials have issued evacuation orders for surrounding areas. Other fire weather alerts were issued for parts of Hawaii amid drier weather and wind gusts up to 50 miles per hour. There are more than 700 active wildfires across Canada as of Saturday, with most of the blazes occurring in British Columbia, Manitoba and the Northwest Territories, according to Canadian fire officials. About 216 of the fires are considered to be 'out of control,' while 151 are under control and 284 are being monitored. Wildfires in Canada have burned more than 6.6 million hectares this year so far, accounting for an area nearly the size of Missouri. Wildfires hit a record-breaking pace in Canada in 2023, when New York City was blanketed in an orange haze. Republican lawmakers in the U.S. have criticized Canada's wildfire preparedness, with some penning a letter to Ambassador Kirsten Hillman, Canada's ambassador to the U.S., implying that a 'lack of active forest management' worsened the wildfires. Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew accused the Republicans of being 'ambulance chasers' and suggested they support American firefighters sent to combat the blazes. Further Reading Forbes New York City's Air Quality Falls Among World's Worst As Canadian Wildfire Smoke Blankets Northeast By Zachary Folk
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Yahoo
‘Fire clouds' springing up around the Grand Canyon
Wildfires in Utah and Arizona, near the Grand Canyon, are producing "fire clouds" that can be seen for hundreds of miles and further fuel the fires. The Dragon Bravo fire near the Grand Canyon has become the largest wildfire in the continental U.S. this year, consuming 111,000 acres and destroying the historic lodge at Grand Canyon National Park. The fire is only nine percent contained, as extreme heat and strong winds continue to fuel the blaze, according to the latest update. Both it and the Monroe Fire, burning further north near Monroe, Utah, are generating pyrocumulus clouds — sometimes called "fire clouds" — that form when air over a fire becomes superheated and rises in large, smoky columns. The massive clouds are visible for hundreds of miles and resemble the shape of an anvil. The fires can also generate pyrocumulonimbus clouds, which trigger thunderstorms, and may further fuel the wildfires. "If they get high enough, they can also create downdrafts, and that's something we really watch out for because that can quickly spread the fire and can be very dangerous for firefighters who are doing their work on the ground," Lisa Jennings, a spokesperson for the Southwest Area Incident Management Team, told CBS News. Several fire crews battling the Monroe fire were forced to pull back on Wednesday when fire clouds created dangerous conditions on the ground. "Think of the fire as kind of like a hot-air balloon, so it adds buoyancy and things rise as a result," Derek Mallia, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Utah who studies fire clouds, told CBS News. "You get this towering thunderstorm over the fire, and just like any other thunderstorm it gets really windy underneath it. Because it's the West, these thunderstorms tend to be very dry." If that's not frightening enough, a fire tornado spun up in Utah and tore through a neighborhood with wind speeds of 122 mph, according to the National Weather Service. Mallia said that fire clouds are likely to appear more frequently due to climate change driven by the human burning of fossil fuels. Climate change is producing longer fire seasons, drought conditions, and extreme weather events, as we're seeing play out in the southwest. The temperature and weather conditions in the southwest are continuing to fuel the fires and erasing the gains firefighters have made in containing the blazes. The Dragon Bravo fire crossed a threshold recently, becoming what the U.S. Forest Service calls a "megafire." Megafires earn that frightening title when they reach more than 100,000 acres in size. Driving around the totality of the fire would take about as long as driving from New York to Washington, D.C. According to fire officials, the blaze in Arizona is continuing to push north. In Utah, the Monroe fire has consumed approximately 50,000 acres and the state's governor, Spencer Cox, said "terrible conditions" are continuing to fuel the blaze. 'These terrible conditions that are making it impossible for us to get ahead of this fire exist in every corner of the state right now,' Cox said. 'It would be very easy to have more fires like this one, so we need people to be incredibly cautious.' The Monroe fire is only seven percent contained. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Yahoo
‘Fire clouds' springing up around the Grand Canyon
Wildfires in Utah and Arizona, near the Grand Canyon, are producing "fire clouds" that can be seen for hundreds of miles and further fuel the fires. The Dragon Bravo fire near the Grand Canyon has become the largest wildfire in the continental U.S. this year, consuming 111,000 acres and destroying the historic lodge at Grand Canyon National Park. The fire is only nine percent contained, as extreme heat and strong winds continue to fuel the blaze, according to the latest update. Both it and the Monroe Fire, burning further north near Monroe, Utah, are generating pyrocumulus clouds — sometimes called "fire clouds" — that form when air over a fire becomes superheated and rises in large, smoky columns. The massive clouds are visible for hundreds of miles and resemble the shape of an anvil. The fires can also generate pyrocumulonimbus clouds, which trigger thunderstorms, and may further fuel the wildfires. "If they get high enough, they can also create downdrafts, and that's something we really watch out for because that can quickly spread the fire and can be very dangerous for firefighters who are doing their work on the ground," Lisa Jennings, a spokesperson for the Southwest Area Incident Management Team, told CBS News. Several fire crews battling the Monroe fire were forced to pull back on Wednesday when fire clouds created dangerous conditions on the ground. "Think of the fire as kind of like a hot-air balloon, so it adds buoyancy and things rise as a result," Derek Mallia, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Utah who studies fire clouds, told CBS News. "You get this towering thunderstorm over the fire, and just like any other thunderstorm it gets really windy underneath it. Because it's the West, these thunderstorms tend to be very dry." If that's not frightening enough, a fire tornado spun up in Utah and tore through a neighborhood with wind speeds of 122 mph, according to the National Weather Service. Mallia said that fire clouds are likely to appear more frequently due to climate change driven by the human burning of fossil fuels. Climate change is producing longer fire seasons, drought conditions, and extreme weather events, as we're seeing play out in the southwest. The temperature and weather conditions in the southwest are continuing to fuel the fires and erasing the gains firefighters have made in containing the blazes. The Dragon Bravo fire crossed a threshold recently, becoming what the U.S. Forest Service calls a "megafire." Megafires earn that frightening title when they reach more than 100,000 acres in size. Driving around the totality of the fire would take about as long as driving from New York to Washington, D.C. According to fire officials, the blaze in Arizona is continuing to push north. In Utah, the Monroe fire has consumed approximately 50,000 acres and the state's governor, Spencer Cox, said "terrible conditions" are continuing to fuel the blaze. 'These terrible conditions that are making it impossible for us to get ahead of this fire exist in every corner of the state right now,' Cox said. 'It would be very easy to have more fires like this one, so we need people to be incredibly cautious.' The Monroe fire is only seven percent contained.
