Wildfire, Coconino
- When
- May 9, 8:30 PM MST to May 21, 6:00 PM MST
- Where
- Coconino County, Jacob Lake
- Reported by
- PARK/FOREST SERVICE
- Coordinates
- 35.839, -111.770 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
The Outlet Fire began as a prescribed burn on April 25. On May 9, the fire was still within the planned enviromental conditions when it was declared a wildland fire. This was done in order to begin fire suppression efforts because of high wind predicted on May 10. High wind on May 10 forced the fire out of project bounderies about 30 miles south of Jacob Lake. This caused the closure of Highway 67 from Jacob Lake southward and the evacuation of the developed area at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Highway 67 to the North Rim was reopened on May 21. The fire was declaired 100% contained the evening of May 21. In all, 13,350 acers burned, over 1,200 fire personel were invovled, and nearly 35 miles of hand line were constructed around the fire. The fire fell over the canyon rim in some areas and was suppressed with aircraft where terrain was too rugged for crews to operate safely. The fire continued to burn inside fire lines long after containment. On June 4, strong wind pushed the fire off the canyon rim. This fire then burned back up onto the canyon rim and burned an additional 500 acres outside the fire lines. This part of the fire was contained again on June 5.