Grand Canyon fire grows into a megafire and creates its own weather. It’s not done yet

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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 8% 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