Latest news with #KaibabLodge
Fast Company
30-07-2025
- Climate
- Fast Company
A wildfire burning along the Grand Canyon's North Rim is proving difficult to contain. Here's why
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.
Yahoo
28-07-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Wildfires in northern Arizona burn over 103,000 acres; Kaibab Lodge still safe
As one of the two major wildfires burning in northern Arizona inched closer to total containment, the other burning on the Grand Canyon's North Rim grew by over 9,000 acres in one day, according to fire command officials. The Dragon Bravo and White Sage fires continued to engulf northern Arizona, burning more than 100,000 acres combined since starting earlier in the month, as of July 27. The small Oak Point Fire that started south of the White Sage Fire burn area was 100% contained at 85 acres, according to federal wildfire tracker InciWeb. Here's everything to know about the wildfires that were still burning. Dragon Bravo Fire continues to grow After lightning caused the fire on July 4, the Dragon Bravo Fire grew to 44,429 acres by July 27, a jump of 8,960 acres from the day before, according to the Southwest Area Complex Incident Management Team 4. The fire was 26% contained with 1,048 people assigned to fight the fire, according to the southwest team. "Today's operation will focus on protecting values at risk and assessment of new contingency lines and preparing for changes in fire behavior," the southwest team wrote in an update on InciWeb. The fire's northeastern section remained the most active, while also burning into previous fire scars in the area. The Grand Canyon Lodge was destroyed in the fire on July 12. The blaze was also putting other nearby historic structures at risk, including the Kaibab Lodge, located on the north side of the fire along the closed State Route 67. Crews were actively staged in and around the lodge, providing critical structure protection, according to Larry Innes, owner of the lodge. Crews had already prepared other structures in the House Rock area, the southwest team said. Much of the growth of the Dragon Bravo Fire was attributed to the third consecutive day of dry, windy weather that aggravated the fire, according to the team. White Sage Fire inches toward containment Further north in the Kaibab National Forest, the White Sage Fire continued to show positive signs of containment, the Color Country Team 2 said. The team assumed command of firefighting efforts on July 26, according to InciWeb. The fire had spread to 59,065 acres and was 83% contained. The size of the crews fighting the fire was cut in half from the day before, down to 135 personnel, according to the team. The fire started July 9 and was estimated to be contained by July 30, according to InciWeb. Active suppression efforts remained ongoing. State Route 89A had reopened, but SR 67 remained closed, according to InciWeb. The Arizona Bureau of Land Management recalled a closure near Vermilion Cliffs National Monument due to decreased fire activity, the team said. Rey Covarrubias Jr. reports breaking news for The Arizona Republic and Email him at: rcovarrubias@ and connect with him on Instagram, Threads, Bluesky and X (formerly Twitter) at @ReyCJrAZ. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Latest on Dragon Bravo and White Sage fires in northern Arizona
