The lightning-caused Galahad Fire is slowly burning on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. As Arizona Public Radio’s Parker Olson reports, National Park officials are letting the 223-acre fire burn.
Crews spotted the Galahad Fire last week along with six smaller burns. The other wildfires have either been contained or have not grown. The Park Service has decided to manage the Galahad fire, the largest of the blazes. Their goal is to protect culturally important resources and wildlife while letting the fire take its natural course.
Jay Lusher is the chief of fire and aviation for Grand Canyon National Park. He believes these small, low-intensity fires can benefit the forest.
“For Grand Canyon National Park, we felt that this fire fell in to the natural regime of fire in the ponderosa pine … We would like the fire to play its natural role in the ecosystem. Continue to keep the amount of brush and litter reduced in those areas and remain as a normal part of that ecosystem for the North Rim,” he says.
The fire is burning about 15 miles from the North Rim Lodge. It’s not threatening any structures and is expected to last into next week.