GRAND CANYON, Ariz. — Beginning Thursday, January 6, National Park Service (NPS) fire managers will begin pile burning along the Hwy. 64 corridor on the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park.

Hand piles composed of woody debris will be burned along the Hwy. 64 corridor, north of the South Entrance Station from mile marker 238-240. Fire managers plan to continue igniting piles over the next several months when weather conditions are suitable.

Smoke will be visible within the area and traffic signs will be posted along the roadway advising visitors of the operations. If traveling along Hwy. 64, visitors are asked to be prepared for slower traffic and minor delays within the area of the pile burns.

Prescribed fires play an important role in decreasing risks to life, resources, and property. Fire managers carefully plan prescribed fires, initiating them only under environmental conditions that are favorable to assuring firefighter and visitor safety and to achieving the desired objectives. Prescribed fire objectives include reducing accumulations of hazard fuels, maintaining the natural role of fire in a fire-adapted ecosystem, and protection of sensitive cultural and natural resources.