Highlights: Over the last few days, favorable weather has slowed fire growth and calmed fire behavior. Firefighters are working out ahead of the fire to identify opportunities to hold the fire at roads and topographic features. Where the fire was active, crews are extinguishing hot spots and securing line to make progress in containment in the next two to three days.
Operations: The Dragon Bravo fire is a full-suppression effort. At Hindu Point, crews are protecting critical values and directly attacking the fire when it is safe and firefighters have a high probability of success. Due to the terrain in this area, firefighters are using infrared technology to identify areas of heat. Once identified, crews can be strategically placed to extinguish the heat and attack problem areas. Along a majority of the fire perimeter, crews remain active to ensure containment lines are holding and not being compromised during periods of shifting and gusty winds. In areas where the suppression needs have reduced Firefighters are preparing for suppression repair. This includes addressing areas with high erosion potential and repairing dozer lines to a more naturally appearing feature. As fire activity decreases, firefighters shift focus from active suppression to repairing areas impacted by firefighting efforts. Protecting values at risk remains a top priority, and crews and equipment are still positioned and ready to respond should fire conditions change.
Weather and Smoke: While the fire weather is no longer critical, conditions will remain hot and dry during the first part of the week which can still contribute to active fire behavior. Winds today will return to coming out of the northwest at around 10-15mph. The chance of precipitation increases on Wednesday but is more likely to bring lightning than wetting rains. Smoke will remain visible from surrounding areas, including the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Residents and visitors impacted by the smoke can monitor local air quality conditions at outlooks.wildlandfiresmoke.net.