Mt. Emma Fire continues to grow, expands toward summer cabin

ST. GEORGE – The Mt. Emma Fire continues to grow. As of Sunday morning, the fire has reached approximately 3,849 acres. Triggered by lightning Wednesday, the fire is located 75 miles east of St. George on the Arizona Strip.

Image courtesy BLM Arizona Strip District
Image courtesy BLM Arizona Strip District

Specifically, the Mt. Emma Fire is burning on the Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument and also into a part of the Grand Canyon National Park.

The fire originally covered around 200 acres when it began earlier this week. High temperatures settling over the region have contributed to the fire’s growth, fire managers said.

Though the fire saw minimal activity through Saturday night, that could change during Sunday as daytime weather often dictates fire activity.

“During the day, that’s when the Relative Humidity goes down and temperatures go up – that’s when the fire becomes active,” Chris Henry, Incident Commander for the Mt. Emma Fire, said Sunday from the Incident Command Post on Mt. Trumbull.

The fire is currently burning two miles from the location of a summer cabin, one of the few structures in the area. Fire managers are monitoring the situation, and have a plan in place to protect the building should the fire reach that far.

Due to increased traffic of fire staff and operation services traveling to and from the area, fire managers request the public’s help in ensuring safety on backcountry roadways in the vicinity of the fire.

We’d like to ask for the public’s help in ensuring firefighter safety and request that all traffic near the area slow down and remain cautious and mindful of increased traffic on the roads en route to the Mt. Emma fire,” said Rachel Carnahan, public affairs officer for the Bureau of Land Management’s Arizona Strip District.

There are no road or trail closures anticipated at this time. Smoke may be visible from St. George and Kanab, as well as Fredonia and the North and South Rims in Arizona.

A Type 3 Incident Management Team is overseeing firefighting efforts. Resources on the fire Sunday include: one Type 4 Engine, one Type 3 Engine, one Hot Shot crew, one Type 2 Initial Attack crew, an air tanker and air attack. The Cedar City Air Center and Mesquite Tanker Base are providing aerial support.

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