Hearst Prescribed Fire Due To Start At 10:00 Am Today

Grand Canyon, AZ - Firefighters will ignite the Hearst prescribed fire today, Thursday, October 29, 2003, if weather conditions permit. The fire is located approximately eight miles southeast of Grand Canyon Village in the Grandview area south of Highway 64 on the Park's South Rim. The objective of the Hearst prescribed fire is to reduce excess fuel and promote forest health.

Prescribed fires are one of the most effective tools available to resource managers for restoring fire dependant ecosystems. Prescribed fires are based on burn plans that must be approved by the Park Superintendent before any of the recommended actions are implemented. Park resource managers and the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality are involved in the process of planning prescribed burns and all prescribed fires are managed with firefighter and public safety as the first priority.

Thorough planning is used to minimize smoke impacts; however, it is impossible to predict weather patterns and smoke behavior with complete accuracy. Smoke impacts may be possible in the adjacent community of Tusayan. Smoke impacts may also occur along the river at night and in the early morning hours. No park or road closures are anticipated at this time.

Prescribed Fire	Size	Location
Hearst	60 acres	Grandview area, approximately eight miles southeast of Grand Canyon Village

For additional information, please call Grand Canyon National Park's Fire Information at 928-638-7819. (www.nps.gov/grca/fire/)