Latest news with #DragonBravoFire
Yahoo
a day ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Crews struggle to contain wildfire on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon
Grand Canyon Fire PHOENIX (AP) — Historically dry conditions have combined with gusty winds to make it harder for crews to get a handle on a wildfire burning along the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, causing containment figures to plummet as the blaze nearly tripled in size in just a few days. Crews had managed to contain about 26% of the Dragon Bravo Fire last week, but that dropped into single digits as unfavorable conditions helped the flames to spread across more than 110 square miles (about 285 kilometers) by Tuesday. The fire made one of its biggest runs on Monday as it raced across 25 square miles of terrain. The periods when the fire is most active is spanning longer durations of the day, leaving less time for firefighters to make up ground, fire spokesperson Lisa Jennings said. 'These record dry air masses are just the tip of the iceberg on what has created this fire weather, because it's also been a dry season here and we haven't got any of the monsoon moisture that usually comes in early July,' Jennings said. She added that type of fuels — towering mixed conifers and ponderosa pines — along with the topography of the rim are contributing to the fire's spread. Crews on Tuesday continued work to reinforce protections near the Kaibab Lodge, which is surrounded by national forest land. Managers also were keeping an eye on a refuge for the state's fish — the Apache trout — in the North Canyon and a bison herd in the House Rock Valley. The fire was sparked by lightning on July 4 and initially was managed to clear out vegetation to improve forest conditions. It wasn't until a week later that dry and windy conditions helped to fan the flames, prompting evacuations of visitors and employees at Grand Canyon National Park's North Rim. The historic Grand Canyon Lodge and dozens of cabins were destroyed. The rim remains closed for the season. A bipartisan slate of Arizona's elected officials has questioned the handling of the fire, suggesting more could have been done early on. Following an aerial tour of the damage, Gov. Katie Hobbs met with federal officials and said U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum committed to an independent review.
San Francisco Chronicle
a day ago
- Climate
- San Francisco Chronicle
Crews struggle to contain wildfire on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon
PHOENIX (AP) — Historically dry conditions have combined with gusty winds to make it harder for crews to get a handle on a wildfire burning along the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, causing containment figures to plummet as the blaze nearly tripled in size in just a few days. Crews had managed to contain about 26% of the Dragon Bravo Fire last week, but that dropped into single digits as unfavorable conditions helped the flames to spread across more than 110 square miles (about 285 kilometers) by Tuesday. The fire made one of its biggest runs on Monday as it raced across 25 square miles of terrain. The periods when the fire is most active is spanning longer durations of the day, leaving less time for firefighters to make up ground, fire spokesperson Lisa Jennings said. 'These record dry air masses are just the tip of the iceberg on what has created this fire weather, because it's also been a dry season here and we haven't got any of the monsoon moisture that usually comes in early July,' Jennings said. She added that type of fuels — towering mixed conifers and ponderosa pines — along with the topography of the rim are contributing to the fire's spread. Crews on Tuesday continued work to reinforce protections near the Kaibab Lodge, which is surrounded by national forest land. Managers also were keeping an eye on a refuge for the state's fish — the Apache trout — in the North Canyon and a bison herd in the House Rock Valley. The fire was sparked by lightning on July 4 and initially was managed to clear out vegetation to improve forest conditions. It wasn't until a week later that dry and windy conditions helped to fan the flames, prompting evacuations of visitors and employees at Grand Canyon National Park's North Rim. The historic Grand Canyon Lodge and dozens of cabins were destroyed. The rim remains closed for the season. A bipartisan slate of Arizona's elected officials has questioned the handling of the fire, suggesting more could have been done early on. Following an aerial tour of the damage, Gov. Katie Hobbs met with federal officials and said U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum committed to an independent review.
E&E News
a day ago
- Climate
- E&E News
Grand Canyon wildfire spreads, now only 9% contained
Gusts of dry air expanded the wildfire burning in the Grand Canyon National Park over the weekend, with the incident team meteorologist expressing hope Monday that rain later this week could help fight the blazes. The Dragon Bravo Fire on Friday was considered to be at 26 percent containment, according to the federal government's fire-tracking system. By Tuesday afternoon, the fire had grown to 71,000 acres and was considered 9 percent contained. Officials said biomass in the pine forest and low humidity in the air around the Grand Canyon are driving the fire's northward expansion, even as 1,000 fire response personnel deployed to the area for a full-suppression strategy. Advertisement Craig Daugherty, the operations chief for the Southwest Area Complex Incident Management Team 2, said in a briefing Monday that 'dynamic fire days' witnessed over the weekend created 'pretty serious fire growth.'
Yahoo
a day ago
- Climate
- Yahoo
Crews struggle to contain wildfire on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon
Grand Canyon Fire PHOENIX (AP) — Historically dry conditions have combined with gusty winds to make it harder for crews to get a handle on a wildfire burning along the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, causing containment figures to plummet as the blaze nearly tripled in size in just a few days. Crews had managed to contain about 26% of the Dragon Bravo Fire last week, but that dropped into single digits as unfavorable conditions helped the flames to spread across more than 110 square miles (about 285 kilometers) by Tuesday. The fire made one of its biggest runs on Monday as it raced across 25 square miles of terrain. The periods when the fire is most active is spanning longer durations of the day, leaving less time for firefighters to make up ground, fire spokesperson Lisa Jennings said. 'These record dry air masses are just the tip of the iceberg on what has created this fire weather, because it's also been a dry season here and we haven't got any of the monsoon moisture that usually comes in early July,' Jennings said. She added that type of fuels — towering mixed conifers and ponderosa pines — along with the topography of the rim are contributing to the fire's spread. Crews on Tuesday continued work to reinforce protections near the Kaibab Lodge, which is surrounded by national forest land. Managers also were keeping an eye on a refuge for the state's fish — the Apache trout — in the North Canyon and a bison herd in the House Rock Valley. The fire was sparked by lightning on July 4 and initially was managed to clear out vegetation to improve forest conditions. It wasn't until a week later that dry and windy conditions helped to fan the flames, prompting evacuations of visitors and employees at Grand Canyon National Park's North Rim. The historic Grand Canyon Lodge and dozens of cabins were destroyed. The rim remains closed for the season. A bipartisan slate of Arizona's elected officials has questioned the handling of the fire, suggesting more could have been done early on. Following an aerial tour of the damage, Gov. Katie Hobbs met with federal officials and said U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum committed to an independent review.
Associated Press
a day ago
- Climate
- Associated Press
Crews struggle to contain wildfire on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon
PHOENIX (AP) — Historically dry conditions have combined with gusty winds to make it harder for crews to get a handle on a wildfire burning along the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, causing containment figures to plummet as the blaze nearly tripled in size in just a few days. Crews had managed to contain about 26% of the Dragon Bravo Fire last week, but that dropped into single digits as unfavorable conditions helped the flames to spread across more than 110 square miles (about 285 kilometers) by Tuesday. The fire made one of its biggest runs on Monday as it raced across 25 square miles of terrain. The periods when the fire is most active is spanning longer durations of the day, leaving less time for firefighters to make up ground, fire spokesperson Lisa Jennings said. 'These record dry air masses are just the tip of the iceberg on what has created this fire weather, because it's also been a dry season here and we haven't got any of the monsoon moisture that usually comes in early July,' Jennings said. She added that type of fuels — towering mixed conifers and ponderosa pines — along with the topography of the rim are contributing to the fire's spread. Crews on Tuesday continued work to reinforce protections near the Kaibab Lodge, which is surrounded by national forest land. Managers also were keeping an eye on a refuge for the state's fish — the Apache trout — in the North Canyon and a bison herd in the House Rock Valley. The fire was sparked by lightning on July 4 and initially was managed to clear out vegetation to improve forest conditions. It wasn't until a week later that dry and windy conditions helped to fan the flames, prompting evacuations of visitors and employees at Grand Canyon National Park's North Rim. The historic Grand Canyon Lodge and dozens of cabins were destroyed. The rim remains closed for the season. A bipartisan slate of Arizona's elected officials has questioned the handling of the fire, suggesting more could have been done early on. Following an aerial tour of the damage, Gov. Katie Hobbs met with federal officials and said U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum committed to an independent review.
