Nearly 400 firefighters are working around the clock on the Dragon Bravo Fire burning on the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park, Tuesday.
The lightning-caused blaze, which has destroyed 70 structures including the historic Grand Canyon Lodge, reached 8,570 acres as of Tuesday morning.
Stefan La-Sky, with the complex incident management tea, says crews are also working in the Grand Canyon to protect the facility that supplies water to the north and south rims.
“So they’re in that Roaring Springs area. The fire was kind of backing down towards there, and people were worried about the pump house. They’re down there working with the helicopters doing bucket drops," La-Sky says.
He says they’ve flown fire crews into the canyon, past challenging terrain.
Firefighters had to contend with gusty and erratic winds throughout Monday due to nearby thunderstorms.
Officials say they’re working to strengthen containment lines and preserve remaining structures, and hope to hold the fire to as small an area as possible.
Crews planned to use bulldozers and hand tools to construct fire lines around the northern and western edges of the fire.
A City of Flagstaff Hazmat team was on site Monday after a chlorine gas leak temporarily halted firefighting efforts over the weekend.
The team determined the release of chemicals had stopped, and air samples showed no detectable levels of chlorine gas.
Evacuations remain in effect for nearly 1,000 square miles of Coconino County north of the canyon due to both the Dragon Bravo Fire and the nearby White Sage Fire.
All corridor trails within the canyon are also closed, save for Bright Angel above Havasupai Gardens.
Only those joining or leaving river trips at Pipe Creek have been allowed to hike through the area. Rafting trips have been instructed to bypass Phantom Ranch.
U.S. Route 89A remains closed between Fredonia and Bitter Springs.
The White Sage Fire, located 15 miles southwest of Fredonia, reached 51,900 acres, Tuesday.
Officials note that the fire grew by up to 7 miles some days.
Growth on the wind-driven blaze slowed yesterday.
