News Release

Obi Fire on Grand Canyon National Park North Rim Grows to 578 Acres

View from Yaki Point of Obi Fire burning on the North Rim of Grand Canyon (July 26, 2018) NPS/Jeremy Childs

News Release Date: July 26, 2018

Contact: Rachel Grabenstein, 928-638-7071

Contact: Kirby-Lynn Shedlowski, 928-638-7958

Grand Canyon, AZ - The Obi Fire, which started on July 21st, is approximately 578 acres. Daytime growth was slower despite active surface fire in downed logs and needle cast and a few instances of single tree torching. The fire continues to move to the north and east displaying moderated fire behavior due to overcast skies and scattered light rain showers.

Located in the far southwest corner of the Wahalla Plateau above Obi Point, the Obi Fire is burning in ponderosa pine and brush. Fire managers plan to continue the strategy of confinement and containment in a predetermined area while providing for point protection of identified sensitive natural and cultural resources. The fire is currently under the command of Type 4 Incident Commander Paul Lemmon.

Fire crews have confined the 17 acre Atoko Fire, detected on July 22nd, on the east side of Cape Royal Road, near Atoko Point.The 32.5 acre Saffron Fire, located between Fire Point and Swamp Point has also been confined. This fire started in the southwest corner of the North Kaibab Ranger District late last week and burned within Grand Canyon National Park.

Smoke is visible on both the North and South Rims of the park. Visitors observing smoke near the South Rim is being produced by the Rain Fire, which is located one mile southeast of the town of Tusayan in the Kaibab National Forest. For more information about the Rain fire, please go to the Kaibab National Forest InciWeb page for the Rain Fire https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6002/.

At this time there are no road closures within the park, individuals driving along Cape Royal Road should be aware of fire crews working in the vicinity. Motorist should turn on their headlights and slow down for emergency response vehicles.

Grand Canyon National Park is receiving interagency support with two Type 2IA handcrews, local resources from the North Zone Interagency Fire Management Organization, and from the South Rim of the park. Resources assigned to the fire are five engines, one helicopter, helitack, two resource advisors, and a fire ecologist.

Each fire start is evaluated by fire management officials for the most appropriate management strategy. Firefighter safety, resources at risk, location of the fire, available resources, regional and national preparedness levels, and weather forecast are taken into consideration when responding to a wildfire ignition.  

Please visit https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/management/firemanagement.htm for other information about wildland fire at Grand Canyon National Park or call 928-638-7819 for recorded fire information. For additional information and photos of the fire, visit https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6030/ .

-NPS-