The month or two between the end of the spring rains and the beginning of the summer monsoon is not-so-affectionately referred to as the “fire season” among NPS resource managers and locals alike. The forests on both rims are starved for moisture, the seasonal winds pick up, and the danger grows daily that a conflagration might be started by either human error or “dry” lightning; there is little we can do except to wait patiently for return of the rains. The National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service fire crews train year round for just such a scenario, and stand ready to jump on any situation that unfolds.
At press time they are battling a small fire in the vicinity Grandview Point on the South Rim. Fortunately the winds are down so they should quickly gain the upper hand. Grand Canyon National Park has banned wood fires of any kind to help prevent any further incidents of this nature, and ask for everyone’s help in getting us through the dog days of summer with our…ahem…bark intact.
