Crews working on the Dragon Bravo Fire are getting a break thanks to monsoon storms

Crews working on the Dragon Bravo Fire on the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park are getting a break — in the form of monsoon storms.

Kevin Tidwell is the public information officer for the Dragon Bravo Fire. He says there was a significant amount of rain overnight, which helped limit fire activity and behavior.

“However, it can hamper some operations depending on potential debris flows and just crews being out there in significant weather and lightning," said Tidwell.

Tidwell says they have close to 600 personnel working on the Dragon Bravo Fire, which is at 80% containment. He says a large portion of those firefighters are handling the repair and removal of hazardous trees and hauling logs out of the fire area. Another portion is patrolling for any hot spots.

“Sometimes a lot of the heat that remains is very deep," Tidwell said. "It's kind of hidden and smoldering in dead and down material. Even in some fires throughout winter, you'll have smoldering embers that are down beneath the duff layer.”

More than two months have gone by since the Dragon Bravo Fire was ignited by a lightning strike. The fire burned more than 145,000 acres. Nearly half of the 229 structures in the area were severely damaged or destroyed, including the Grand Canyon Lodge.