Grand Canyon fire grows into ‘megafire,’ burning nearly 112K acres in hot and dry conditions

GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. (KPHO/Gray News) - A wildfire in northern Arizona has grown thousands of acres in just a few days as firefighters continue to work to regain containment.

The Dragon Bravo Fire has scorched nearly 112,000 acres as of Friday, and is 8% contained. Over 1,100 fire personnel are working to control the blaze.

The fire is believed to be the largest in the nation so far this year, surpassing the Cram Fire in Oregon that was roughly 95,000 acres before it was fully contained.

Fire officials say it has become a “megafire” on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, burning so hot that it is creating “fire clouds” with their own erratic weather systems.

Records show that the massive wildfire has also moved into the top 10 of the largest wildfires in Arizona state history.

Fire officials say the Dragon Bravo Fire was sparked by lightning, with the blaze growing over 10,000 acres just from late Wednesday to early Thursday morning.

The fire is most active on the north, but firefighters were able to gain slight containment in that area.

On Tuesday, the Bureau of Land Management issued an emergency closure order for south House Rock Valley.

U.S. Highway 89A, north and east of the Kaibab National Forest and south of the main stem of Soap Creek and north and west of Grand Canyon National Park, is also temporarily closed.

The periods when the fire is most active span longer durations of the day, leaving less time for firefighters to make up ground, fire spokesperson Lisa Jennings said.

She added that the type of fuels — towering mixed conifers and ponderosa pines — along with the topography of the rim, are contributing to the fire’s spread.

“These record dry air masses are just the tip of the iceberg on what has created this fire weather, because it’s also been a dry season here and we haven’t got any of the monsoon moisture that usually comes in early July,” Jennings said.

A historic lodge on the Grand Canyon’s North Rim is among more than 70 structures lost as a result of the fire.

Additionally, the Dragon Bravo Fire has moved within miles of the Kaibab Lodge, which has stood for almost 100 years, and the North Rim Country Store.

The wildfire is expected to push northeast. Fire officials are continuing to deal with extreme fire behavior due to the alignment of slope, fuel, and wind.

The weather forecast for the region is expected to be hot, dry, with breezy conditions for the rest of the week.