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Contact: Shannan Marcak, 928-638-7958
Grand Canyon, Ariz. – The Point Fire experienced slow growth this weekend as warmer, drier weather moved into the area; and on Wednesday, August 3, the Tipover Fire was discovered due north of the Point Fire, near the park/forest boundary, and is now being managed for both resource and protection objectives. Conditions Monday through Thursday of last week were cool and moist with periodic, lightning-filled thunderstorms passing through the area. During this time frame, the Point Fire experienced little growth. A drying trend over the weekend then led to slow growth on the fire, which exhibited primarily backing behavior and average flame lengths of six to eighteen inches. The lightning-caused Tipover Fire is currently less than two acres in size and is burning in ponderosa pine and mixed conifer approximately six miles north of the Point Fire, five miles west of Highway 67 and ten miles northwest of the North Rim developed area. The fire is being managed for multiple objectives, including returning fire to a fire-adapted ecosystem and reducing hazardous accumulations of forest fuels. At this time, the fire is in monitor status with minimal staffing due to extremely light fire activity. A somewhat warmer and drier weather pattern is predicted over the next week with a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms remaining in the forecast for most of the week. As conditions warm and dry, slow to moderate growth can be expected on both fires. Point Fire Facts: Start Date: July 4, 2011 Location: Approximately 10 miles west of the North Rim developed area in the vicinity of Walla Valley and Point Sublime. The North Rim sits at an elevation of approximately 8,000 feet in elevation. Size: 1,257 acres Fuels: Ponderosa pine with occasional patches of mixed conifer Management Objectives: The Point Fire is being managed to achieve multiple objectives.
Closures: In order to assure firefighter and visitor safety, the Point Sublime Road (also known as the w4 road) is closed until further notice from its junction with the w1 road, out to and including Point Sublime. Smoke impacts: During periods of increased activity, smoke from the Point Fire is visible from US Highway 64 as far south as Valle, South Rim viewpoints, the Rim Trail, US Highway 67, the North Rim entrance station and some North Rim viewpoints. Coordination with the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality is ongoing. Tipover Fire Facts: Start Date: Wednesday, August 3, 2011 Location: Approximately 6 miles north of the Point Fire, 5 miles west of Hwy 67 and 10 miles northwest of the North Rim developed area. The North Rim sits at an elevation of approximately 8,000 feet. Size: less than 2 acres Fuels: ponderosa pine and mixed conifer Management Objectives: The Tipover Fire is being managed to achieve multiple objectives.
Closures: There are no closures related to the Tip Over Fire Smoke: Smoke from the Tipover Fire is currently visible from Highway 67. You can follow the progress of the Point Fire as well as view maps and pictures of the fire on InciWeb at http://inciweb.org/incident/2408/. For more on Grand Canyon’s Fire Management program, please visit us on the web at https://www.nps.gov/grca/parkmgmt/firemanagement.htm. -NPS- |
Last updated: February 24, 2015