Firefighters are facing yet another day of dire conditions as the Dragon Bravo Fire creates a 24,000-foot smoke plume visible throughout the area.
Officials say a dry air mass has caused humidity to drop as low as 10 percent as 25-mile-an-hour winds have created explosive growth in mixed conifer, aspen and ponderosa pine.
“These are historic conditions in terms of dryness and that's really the main factor, in addition to the winds, that's causing this fire to grow rapidly and have really extreme fire behavior,” says Lisa Jennings, a spokesperson for the incident management team.
Managers on Monday decreased their official containment numbers of the wildfire to 13% as they estimate its size at more than 55,000 acres.
Numerous spot fires have started up to a mile from the main perimeter. According to officials, the wildfire expanded 3 to 4 miles on Sunday alone, mostly on its western flanks.
Firefighters have wrapped the Kaibab Lodge in a fire-resistant material and also installed a sprinkler system to protect remaining structures.
The blaze is one of the highest priority wildfires in the country with about a thousand personnel along with helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft working to contain it.
As of Monday, suppression costs for the Dragon Bravo had topped $25 million.
