Fire managers with the Kaibab National Forest plan to begin ignitions today on a 270-acre block of forest just east of the Town of Tusayan and south of the boundary with Grand Canyon National Park as part of the Tusayan East Prescribed Fire project.
Specifically, fire managers will begin treating about 125 acres on the northern end of the project area tomorrow morning and then will decide whether to continue with additional ignitions depending on the amount and direction of smoke produced. Fire managers are hoping to capitalize on predicted steady, southwest winds to push smoke away from Tusayan, the Grand Canyon Airport and the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park.
No prescribed burning is planned for the weekend. On Saturday and Sunday, fire managers plan to focus on holding fire lines and patrolling the acres that were able to be treated Friday with prescribed burning. If the entire 270-acre unit cannot be completed Friday, fire managers will look for appropriate weather conditions next week to continue the prescribed fire project.
All prescribed burning on the Kaibab National Forest is subject to approval by the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality and appropriate weather conditions. For additional information on the Smoke Management Division of the ADEQ, and to view prescribed burns authorized for any given day, visit www.azdeq.gov.