FULLER FIRE UPDATE: Fuller Fire's Potential Remains Despite Rains, Minimal Fire Activity
August 8, 2016
Fire: Fuller Fire
Completion: 48%
Acres: 14,541
Start Date: June 29, 2016
Cause: Lightning
Location: Point Imperial, N. Rim Grand Canyon NP
Total Personnel: 124
Fuels/Topography: Timber, grass, rugged terrain
The bulk of the effort on the Fuller Fire currently revolves around clean up and improvement of contingency lines along forest roads. Rains have cooled the fire’s edge but areas of heat and smoldering fuel remain as does the potential for this fire to reemerge after the monsoon.
“There’s still smoke and heat along the fire’s western edge in some rugged, inaccessible terrain,” said Incident Commander Aaron Fritzer, Fire Operations Supervisor for the North Rim of the Grand Canyon National Park. “If the heat lasts through the monsoon, I would expect the fire to start picking up and that’s where the work we’ve done along (Forest Road) 610 will come in to play.”
Firefighter safety is the top priority of any fire. Given the terrain and the fact some of this area hasn’t seen fire in recorded history, the decision was made to manage the Fuller Fire.
Fire is a natural part of the landscape in the Kaibab and Grand Canyon and fire managers use it to help clean up dead down trees and debris from the forest floor. The extended absence of wildfire increases the risk of catastrophic fire in this area, which could have negative impacts on vegetation, soil, wildlife, and other natural resources. The Fuller Fire reduces the likelihood of catastrophic wildfire in the future by restoring the natural fire cycle and improving forest health.
There is a closure order is in place for the Kaibab National Forest. The boundary of this area closure starts east of Highway 67 at the junction of FR 610 and FR 611, heading northeast where the junction of FR611 and the North Canyon Trail intersect, continuing on the North Canyon Trail to the Trailhead on FR 631, then south on FR 631 to the junction with FR 445A, then northeast along FR 445A to the junction with FR 8910, then southeast along FR8910 to the Forest boundary with Grand Canyon National Park and following this boundary south and west to FR 610 “This Order only affects National Forest System Lands.” For a map of the closure, click here.
In Grand Canyon National Park, the North Rim developed area, Point Imperial and Cape Royal viewpoints remain open but pullouts and some trails along Point Imperial and Cape Royal roads are closed. Check with the Grand Canyon National Park at http://www.nps.gov/grca and Kaibab National Forest at http://www.fs.usda.gov/kaibab for more information.
Fire Information:
Inciweb: inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4845
Text Message: text “follow GrandCanyonNPS” to 40404
Facebook: facebook.com/FullerFire
Twitter: twitter.com/GrandCanyonNPS
Fire Information Center: 844-684-5411; Recorded Information: 928-638-7688
