Over the last several days, the Dragon Fire has been holding at approximately 1,309 acres in size. The 135-personnel assigned fire has had minimal spread due to monsoonal precipitation over the Kaibab Plateau.
Naturally ignited wildland fires play an important role in fire-adapted ecosystems by reducing dead wood accumulations to ash and releasing nutrients that stimulate new plant growth, and helping to regulate insect and disease levels. These fires also create a mosaic of burned and unburned vegetation, which increases habitat diversity and breaks up continuous fuels on the forest floor (branches, fallen trees, etc.) which can help limit or slow the intensity and spread of large wildfires in the future.
