Fire Start Reported on North Rim of Grand Canyon

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Date: July 7, 2011
Contact: Shannan Marcak, 928-638-7958

Grand Canyon, Ariz. – On Monday, July 4, at approximately 6 p.m., North Zone fire managers received a report of a new fire start in the vicinity of Point Sublime on the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park. The fire was reported by the Red Butte fire lookout.

The Point Fire is located approximately 10 miles due west of the North Rim developed area in the vicinity of Walla Valley and Point Sublime. It is approximately 12 acres in size, is currently exhibiting creeping and smoldering fire behavior, and is burning in ponderosa pine and occasional small patches of mixed conifer.

With the robust onset of monsoon season, and the cooler temperatures of the North Rim’s higher elevations, fire managers are evaluating whether the Point Fire could be managed to achieve multiple objectives, including resource and protection objectives.

The Point Fire is a naturally occurring point source ignition within the previously identified Walla Valley burn unit which, if conditions prove to be appropriate, could make it an excellent candidate to be managed for resource objectives. The resource objectives would include reducing accumulations of hazardous fuels and maintaining fire in a fire adapted ecosystem.

This lightning-caused fire is currently in monitor status as fire managers evaluate potential strategies for managing the fire. Currently, one engine crew and one hand crew are monitoring the fire’s behavior, observing its effects and ensuring that the fire remains above the rim where it can more readily be contained if managers determine that current and predicted fuel and weather conditions would not produce the desired fire effects.

Smoke from the Point Fire will most likely be visible from the South Rim and may also be visible from US Highway 67 and the North Entrance Station. Coordination with the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality is already ongoing. 

-NPS-



Last updated: February 24, 2015

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