Las Vegas Sun

December 1, 2009

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Grand Canyon fire moving toward containment, North Rim scheduled to reopen

Friday, May 19, 2000 | 11:30 a.m.

Calm winds and high humidity have allowed firefighters to get an upper hand on the blaze, which is expected to be fully contained Sunday, said Karla Martin, spokeswoman for the National Park Service.

The North Rim is scheduled to reopen at noon on Monday. The South Rim, which most tourists visit, is open.

The fire was 61 percent contained as of this morning. The acreage has not changed substantially since Tuesday.

The fire was spreading primarily in the northeast area of the Kaibab National Forest's Saddle Mountain Wilderness area, where firefighters are concentrating their efforts, Martin said.

The fire, which began as a 1,500-acre prescribed burn April 25, was driven out of control by high winds last week. Prescribed or controlled fires are set on purpose to reduce underbrush that could fuel a worse fire later. More than 1,200 fire personnel remain on scene.

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