The Powell Fire Wildland Fire Use

Grand Canyon, AZ - The Powell fire continues to grow at a slow and steady pace. It is 790 acres and moving to the south on top of the Powell Plateau on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. The location of the fire is 15 air miles northwest of the developed area on the North Rim of the park. The fire is being managed under a wildland fire use strategy which allows for some lightning caused fires to burn under specific conditions for resource benefits.

Wayne Cook's Interagency Fire Use Management Team is responsible for the management of the fire. Planned actions include monitoring fire behavior, weather and fire growth along with taking air surveys to map and observe the fire.

There are 36 people assigned to the fire representing many agencies including the National Park Service, U.S.D.A. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Williams Interagency Zone Dispatch, Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Smoke generated from the fire is monitored on a daily basis under the Grand Canyon Smoke Management Program. According to Carl Bowman, Air Quality Specialist for Grand Canyon National Park, "Up to this point, little smoke in the Canyon has been associated with this fire. However, there may be more smoke visible in the mornings as a high pressure system settles in the area through early next week. Any smoke in the Canyon should dissipate by mid-day."

To ensure public safety, the following closures are still in effect: North Bass Trail, Powell Plateau Trail and Swamp Ridge Road.

For more information about these closures, please contact the Park's Backcountry Information Center at (928) 638-7875. For general park information, please call (928) 638-7888.

The North Rim of the Grand Canyon remains open to visitors.

Please visit the following websites for more information and photos of the fire: http://www.nps.gov/grca/fire/ and http://www.fireuse.org/