Fires burning in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge near KSC, officials say
Kennedy Space Center officials tell FOX 35 news that none of their facilities were at risk.
FOX 35 Storm Tracker Radar detected a smoke plum extending 30-plus miles offshore due to strong northwest winds, FOX 35 Storm Team Meteorologist Noah Bergren said.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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This story was written based on information shared by the National Interagency Fire Center and by the FOX 35 Storm Team.
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CNN
4 days ago
- CNN
Grand Canyon blaze grows into a megafire and creates its own weather. It's not done yet
The wildfire raging along the Grand Canyon's North Rim became a 'megafire' this week, doubling in size in just a few days and intensifying enough to create its own weather. Hostile weather conditions including intense, dry heat and gusty winds drove the Dragon Bravo Fire's explosive growth and erased much of the containment progress made by fire crews. The northern Arizona fire has burned through nearly 112,000 acres since igniting on July 4 and was 9% contained as of Friday morning, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. It's the largest fire currently burning in the lower 48 states and its footprint is about three times the size of Washington, DC. The Dragon Bravo fire reached megafire status after crossing the 100,000-acre threshold. The blaze has more than doubled in size since Sunday, when it was around 50,000 acres, according to data from Inciweb. Megafires like the Dragon Bravo Fire are rare — only about 3% of wildfires reach this scale — but they account for the majority of total acreage burned in the United States each year. A lightning strike ignited the wildfire on Independence Day and crews initially chose to manage it as a controlled burn instead of smothering it immediately. The fire quickly grew out of control about a week after igniting and fire crews have been fighting to contain it ever since. The blaze tore through the North Rim's historic Grand Canyon Lodge in mid-July and destroyed at least 70 other structures, including cabins and a visitor's center. The fire was 26% contained — its maximum level so far — this past weekend, but worsening weather conditions this week have triggered erratic fire behavior and lowered its containment level considerably. In fact, the fire became so intense that it created its own weather. Pyrocumulus or 'fire clouds' were spotted over the Dragon Bravo Fire for at least seven days in a row, fire information officer Lisa Jennings told the Associated Press on Thursday. Pyrocumulus clouds form over intense heat sources, like raging wildfires or volcano eruptions. They develop because the air above such intense heat is quickly and chaotically forced to rise, which cools and condenses the air's moisture, forming clouds. If a wildfire is hot and chaotic enough it could even fuel a pyrocumulonimbus – a 'fire thunderstorm cloud' – that generates lightning, wind gusts and sometimes produces tornadoes. Additional lightning strikes from these types of clouds could set off new blazes or reignite areas crews have already smothered. Even outside of the weather the fire creates for itself, conditions will remain challenging through at least early next week, if not beyond. An extreme heat warning is in effect for the Grand Canyon through Tuesday and periods of gusty winds will not relent into early next week. Frequent wind gusts of around 20 to 25 mph will occur Friday and through the weekend before gusts up to 30 mph pick up early next week. CNN Meteorologist Briana Waxman contributed to this report.
CNN
4 days ago
- CNN
Grand Canyon blaze grows into a megafire and creates its own weather. It's not done yet
WildfiresFacebookTweetLink Follow The wildfire raging along the Grand Canyon's North Rim became a 'megafire' this week, doubling in size in just a few days and intensifying enough to create its own weather. Hostile weather conditions including intense, dry heat and gusty winds drove the Dragon Bravo Fire's explosive growth and erased much of the containment progress made by fire crews. The northern Arizona fire has burned through nearly 112,000 acres since igniting on July 4 and was 9% contained as of Friday morning, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. It's the largest fire currently burning in the lower 48 states and its footprint is about three times the size of Washington, DC. The Dragon Bravo fire reached megafire status after crossing the 100,000-acre threshold. The blaze has more than doubled in size since Sunday, when it was around 50,000 acres, according to data from Inciweb. Megafires like the Dragon Bravo Fire are rare — only about 3% of wildfires reach this scale — but they account for the majority of total acreage burned in the United States each year. A lightning strike ignited the wildfire on Independence Day and crews initially chose to manage it as a controlled burn instead of smothering it immediately. The fire quickly grew out of control about a week after igniting and fire crews have been fighting to contain it ever since. The blaze tore through the North Rim's historic Grand Canyon Lodge in mid-July and destroyed at least 70 other structures, including cabins and a visitor's center. The fire was 26% contained — its maximum level so far — this past weekend, but worsening weather conditions this week have triggered erratic fire behavior and lowered its containment level considerably. In fact, the fire became so intense that it created its own weather. Pyrocumulus or 'fire clouds' were spotted over the Dragon Bravo Fire for at least seven days in a row, fire information officer Lisa Jennings told the Associated Press on Thursday. Pyrocumulus clouds form over intense heat sources, like raging wildfires or volcano eruptions. They develop because the air above such intense heat is quickly and chaotically forced to rise, which cools and condenses the air's moisture, forming clouds. If a wildfire is hot and chaotic enough it could even fuel a pyrocumulonimbus – a 'fire thunderstorm cloud' – that generates lightning, wind gusts and sometimes produces tornadoes. Additional lightning strikes from these types of clouds could set off new blazes or reignite areas crews have already smothered. Even outside of the weather the fire creates for itself, conditions will remain challenging through at least early next week, if not beyond. An extreme heat warning is in effect for the Grand Canyon through Tuesday and periods of gusty winds will not relent into early next week. Frequent wind gusts of around 20 to 25 mph will occur Friday and through the weekend before gusts up to 30 mph pick up early next week. CNN Meteorologist Briana Waxman contributed to this report.
USA Today
4 days ago
- USA Today
Wildfire raging near Grand Canyon grows into a 'megafire'
The Dragon Bravo Fire, ignited by lightning around July 4, has become the largest wildfire in the continental United States in 2025. The largest wildfire in the continental United States in 2025 has achieved "megafire" status, officials said August 1. Arizona's Dragon Bravo Fire, ignited by lightning around July 4, has now surpassed 100,000 acres in size, meaning it's considered a megafire. The blaze, which has destroyed some of the developed area on the Grand Canyon's North Rim, has grown to more than 105,000 acres as containment dropped to 9% July 31 amid red flag warnings driven by high heat and strong winds. What is a megafire? The National Interagency Fire Center defines a megafire by its size: It is a wildfire that burns more than 40,500 hectares (100,000 acres) of land, National Geographic reported. The Dragon Bravo Fire is the first megafire of the year: According to the second-largest fire was the Cram Fire, which burned more than 95,000 acres in Oregon. The Dragon Bravo fire has already burned roughly 100 structures and become the largest fire, by far, to hit the Grand Canyon National Park since 1984. On July 13, the wildfire razed the historic 1937 Grand Canyon Lodge. According to the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management, it also now stands as the 10th largest wildfire in Arizona since 1990, scorching an area more than three times the size of Phoenix. Extreme heat warnings in effect near fire As the weekend approaches, extreme heat warnings remain in effect across the region, with temperatures soaring well above normal — reaching between 110 and 114 degrees across Arizona, according to the National Weather Service. A slight chance of storms is expected east of Phoenix late Friday, Aug. 1, but these storms are not forecast to move toward the wildfire areas and will provide no relief to the Dragon Bravo Fire. No rain is expected for the Grand Canyon region through at least midweek. While chances for precipitation may briefly rise to around 25% midweek, they are forecast to drop back to zero by the end of the week, meaning dry conditions will likely persist. There is currently no confirmed structural damage outside the Grand Canyon tied to the Dragon Bravo Fire. No fatalities have occurred. Wildfire map: Where is the Dragon Bravo fire burning? According to the latest report on InciWeb, a federal wildfire tracking site, the Dragon Bravo Fire, currently burning across the Kaibab Plateau, is moving northeast toward the Grand Canyon National Park boundary, where the terrain and vegetation begin to change.
