News release date: October 4, 2024

contact: Joel Baird, Grand Canyon National Park

contact: Matt Switzer, Kaibab National Forest

Starting October 8, fire managers from the National Park Service and the USDA Forest Service will collaborate as the North Zone Interagency Fire Management Program to prevent prescribed burns in the North Kaibab Ranger District of the Kaibab National Forest and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. is scheduled to start. Fire managers plan to evaluate weather, fuel moisture and other conditions for opportunities to conduct burns safely and effectively by December.

The arson fires targeted areas along Highway 67 near Jacob Lake, west of the Telephone Hills area and near DeMott, southwest of Forest Road 22 in the North Kaibab Ranger District, and along the highway near the North Rim development area. 67 and the Cape Royal area within Grand Canyon National Park.

Predetermined fire smoke is most noticeable during the ignition operation but may gradually diminish once ignition is complete. Smoke may be visible along Highways 89A and 67 and from various locations on the North and South Rims. Cape Royal Road will be closed from October 14th to 18th. After this closure, motorists using Cape Royal Road are encouraged to turn on their headlights, drive slowly, avoid stopping in areas where fire personnel are working, and follow all posted signs and instructions. Recommended. From the staff. No road closures are expected after these dates, but traffic control measures and one-way streets may be implemented if smoke creates hazardous driving conditions.

Smoke is expected in the canyon one to three days after each ignition. Fire managers are working with the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality’s Smoke Control Division to mitigate and mitigate potential smoke impacts. Fire managers targeted a total of 25,371 acres in the North Kaibab Ranger District and 4,347 acres on the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park for light fuels on the ground and fallen tree debris consisting of logs, twigs and stems. The plan is to dispose of the incident by mass arson. These types of prescribed fires are important for removing forest floor fuels, which are the primary vector of fire during wildfires. Weather conditions and outlook play a critical role in the success of prescribed fire prevention implementation, and fire protection managers work closely with National Weather Service forecasters prior to prescribed fire prevention implementation.

Prescribed fires play an important role in reducing risks to life, resources and property. Fire managers carefully plan prescribed fires and start them only under environmental conditions that favor the safety of firefighters and visitors and achieve the desired objectives. Prescribed fire objectives include reducing the accumulation of hazardous fuels, maintaining the natural role of fire in fire-adapted ecosystems, and protecting sensitive cultural and natural resources.

Each combustion unit plan includes a set of parameters that define the desired weather and fuel conditions under which a given fire can be started. Before conducting a combustion, the fire protection manager assesses the current situation and initiates the ignition only if the prescribed fire conditions are within permissible environmental parameters.

For additional information, please visit: Kaibab National Forest Fire Management Webpage and Grand Canyon National Park Fire Management webpage.

-NPS-