The Powell Fire Wildland Fire Use

Powell Fire Winds Down

Grand Canyon, AZ - The Powell Fire, which has burned 3,606 acres on the North Rim of Grand Canyon, is winding down fast, according to Fire Use Specialist Ed Hiatt. The fire is on the Powell Plateau and was started by lightning on June 15th. It has been a low intensity ground fire since it started. The fire has progressed down the plateau, where it is expected to burn out in the near future.

After a thorough review conducted by National Park Service and Forest Service officials on Sunday, July 6th, a decision was made to release the last of the monitoring team. The fire will be checked daily by National Park Service crews until it is out. Hiatt said "during the ground inspection Sunday, much of the area was already sprouting new growth." Unlike many wildfires in the Southwest, this fire was allowed to burn in a natural manner under a "wildland fire use strategy." The conditions that permitted this included fuel condition at the high elevation of Powell Plateau, location of the fire start and weather. These factors combined to permit a low-intensity burn that did not destroy the organic soil. This has resulted in resource benefits including nutrient recycling, vegetation regeneration, and reduction of fuels. Other such fires have burned on this plateau five, six and seven years ago.

The North Rim of the Grand Canyon remains open to visitors. To ensure public safety, the North Bass Trail and Powell Plateau Trail remain closed. The Swamp Ridge Road is expected to reopen in the next day or two. Please contact the Park's Backcountry Information Center at (928) 638-7875 for more information on these closures. For general park information, please call (928) 638-7888.

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