A Burned Area Emergency Response team recently finished its assessment of the impact the Dragon Bravo fire had to the soil it reached on the Grand Canyon’s North Rim.
The Dragon Bravo Fire on the Grand Canyon’s North Rim burned an area nearly the size of Tucson and has been active for roughly two months. But the survey that helps to estimate post-fire risk found most of the fire's path avoided severe burns to the area soil.
Wildfires can cause chemical changes in the soil, erosion and flooding. The assessment said more than two thirds of the soil within the fire’s reach had low, even unburned severity. Another 26 percent sustained moderate severity and two percent or about 3,500 acres was classified severe.
TJ Clifford is the BAER team leader. He credits previous fire management in the area by the National Park Service.
"In this case the park service did a good job. They've had previous wildfires. They've also had some treatments for prescribed fire. Those treatments are what made this fire more mosaic, less of a concern after the fire," he said.
The assessment comes days after Gov. Katie Hobbs renewed calls for an investigation after the Arizona Republic reported threats to public safety were downplayed.
