Kaibab Fire/N. Rim is Closed

azbackpackr · Posted: 6/26/2006, 5:50 am Post subject: Kaibab Fire/N. Rim is Closed

I'm copying and pasting from PageRob's post on HAZ, important info:

Posted: Jun 25 2006 12:12 pm Post subject:

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Update!

I think that the Warm Fire, up on the N. Kaibab, got out of hand yesterday. During the week, I had watched it jump from 3k acres, to 7k, to 9.5k. Today, on the first national news information I've heard on it, it was described as 15k! Yesterday the wind switched directions, and the smoke was rising like mad. I was down at Marble View, and it was just amazing, watching that smoke rise and spread out just to the north. On the drive back on 67 towards Jacob Lake, I noticed that the road was abandoned except for Fire vehicles. Crews were cutting fireline south of the original burn zone (the fire has been working N and E from its point of ignition). When I got to JL, I found out that Hwy67 was closed to traffic inbound to the NR. 89A had been closed all day between Houserock and JL, so I headed N to Fredonia/Kanab. On arrival in Fredonia, I learned that 89A inbound to JL from Fredonia was also closed. All non-local traffic was being routed back N, or out towards Colorado City.
CNN today said that the North Rim was closed, so its possible that 89A is still closed as well. If you've got plans on the Kaibab for this week, you may want to rethink them...

PageRob · Joined: 03 Mar 2005 Posts: 859 Location: Page, Az.

Whoops! I thought I had posted it here as well. Thanks for getting my back. Very Happy

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PageRob · Joined: 03 Mar 2005 Posts: 859 Location: Page, Az.

Another update: According to NPR, the Warm Fire is now at 32k acres, with guests and employees at the North Rim not being allowed to leave at the time being.
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IGO · Joined: 08 Feb 2005 Posts: 4144 Location: Las Vegas

32K as in 32,000 acres?
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"Surely all God's people, however serious or savage, great or small, like to play. Whales and elephants, dancing, humming gnats, and invisibly small mischievous microbes - all are warm with divine radium and must have lots of fun in them." John Muir

Davis2001R6 · Joined: 12 Dec 2003 Posts: 5591 Location: Italy

Sadly yes

IGO · Joined: 08 Feb 2005 Posts: 4144 Location: Las Vegas

That's becoming a true monster. My God, the North Kiabab Forest has darn few breaks in it. It's all woods and it's doubling in size daily? You haven't been able to see Mt Charleston from here for a week. That never happens atmospheric; only smoke does that.
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"Surely all God's people, however serious or savage, great or small, like to play. Whales and elephants, dancing, humming gnats, and invisibly small mischievous microbes - all are warm with divine radium and must have lots of fun in them." John Muir

PageRob · Joined: 03 Mar 2005 Posts: 859 Location: Page, Az.

Yeah, its huge. So far, from what I've been able to see on the ground and gather from the news, its blown through every fireline and fire break they've laid down. It's crossed Hwy 67 (which is about the biggest break E-W on the forest), and is ranging from firs all the way down to PJ and sagebrush. The whole east slope of the Kaibab Monocline is riddled with steep canyons and gulches, gotta be a hellacious fire to try to get a handle on. Last info I saw was 0% contained...

News release from this morning:
http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/kai/news/releases/2006/print/Warm_062606am.pdf

Says its burning in Moquitch Canyon now too, on the W slope of the monocline...
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PageRob · Joined: 03 Mar 2005 Posts: 859 Location: Page, Az.

Update!
http://inciweb.org/incident/announcements/article/262/404/

The North Kaibab Ranger District is closed! Closed completely until further notice due to the fire and the threat of future fires. This also includes the North Rim of GCNP, so if you're planning a rim-to-rim, now isn't the best time.

Update from this morning:
http://inciweb.org/incident/news/article/262/403/

Its now at 49,680 acres, with 5% containment (though I heard a wild 52k acres on CNN before I went down to Flag this morning). The smoke in the air across the Marble Plateau is intense, and an inversion layer has formed this evening. When that flips in the morning, fire activity will pick up.
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Trishness · Posted: 6/27/2006, 8:56 pm Post subject:

My weekend plans included this and sadly had to be cancelled.

Rob...thanks for all your updates on this.

Mr. Green

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~~~Trish~~~

"Eastward the dawn rose, ridge behind ridge into the morning, and vanished out of eyesight into guess; it was no more than a glimmer blending with the hem of the sky, but it spoke to them, out of the memory and old tales, of the high and distant mountains." � J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of The Rings.

PageRob · Joined: 03 Mar 2005 Posts: 859 Location: Page, Az.

No problem. I figure I'm up here, might as well let the rest of you all know what's going on.
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Anywhere is within walking distance if you spend the time.

IGO · Joined: 08 Feb 2005 Posts: 4144 Location: Las Vegas

Man.
We've got dry lightning all around the LV Valley tonight. This isn't bolts heading to the ground. It looks like severly fracturing windsheild glass that starts from nowhere and goes to nowhere. Very strange. I'm sure there will be smoke in the AM again. There has been smoke in the Valley all week.
_________________
"Surely all God's people, however serious or savage, great or small, like to play. Whales and elephants, dancing, humming gnats, and invisibly small mischievous microbes - all are warm with divine radium and must have lots of fun in them." John Muir

PageRob · Joined: 03 Mar 2005 Posts: 859 Location: Page, Az.

Was down in Flag today, and there was sure a storm going on down there. 40% chance of rain they said. We were there from about noon to five, and it rained almost the whole time. NPR on the way out of town said the monsoon is here already!?! That seems a little hard to believe...has the dew point been that elevated for that many days already?
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Anywhere is within walking distance if you spend the time.

PageRob · Joined: 03 Mar 2005 Posts: 859 Location: Page, Az.

58,470 acres as of 8pm last night. Containment is still 20%.
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Anywhere is within walking distance if you spend the time.

IGO · Joined: 08 Feb 2005 Posts: 4144 Location: Las Vegas

It's been another smokey day in Vegas.
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"Surely all God's people, however serious or savage, great or small, like to play. Whales and elephants, dancing, humming gnats, and invisibly small mischievous microbes - all are warm with divine radium and must have lots of fun in them." John Muir

Stomper · Joined: 28 Jun 2006 Posts: 44 Location: Surprise, Az.

I had been planning on taking my parents to Point Sublime Jul 1-5 but could not get the time off of work. Good thing it turns out. We are re-scheduling the trip for late September which is when I went last time.

I am new to the group and found you guys when researching info for my Mount Humphrey's hike. Looks like you have a good bunch of folks here.
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