'Fire clouds' over Arizona and Utah wildfires are creating their own erratic climate

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Two wildfires burning in the western United States — including one that has become a “megafire” on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon — are so hot that they are spurring the formation of “fire clouds” that can create their own erratic weather systems.

In Arizona, the wind-whipped wildfire that destroyed the Grand Canyon Lodge is 9% contained and has charred more than 164 square miles (424 square kilometers) to become the largest fire now burning in the continental U.S. and one of the top 10 largest in recorded Arizona history. Getting around it would be roughly like driving from New York City to Washington, D.C.

Another large fire in Monroe, Utah, has burned 75 square miles (194 square kilometers) since July 13 and is 11% contained, officials said Thursday. Evacuation orders were issued Wednesday for several towns in the fire's path, and scorched power poles caused electricity to be shut off in other nearby communities in south-central Utah.

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox declared an emergency Thursday as wildfires grew around the state and planned to visit Monroe on Friday.

Towering convection clouds known as pyrocumulus clouds have been spotted over Arizona's blaze for seven consecutive days, fueling the fire with dry, powerful winds, fire information officer Lisa Jennings said. They form when air over the fire becomes superheated and rises in a large smoke column. The giant billowing clouds can be seen for hundreds of miles and can resemble an anvil.

Their more treacherous big brother, a fire-fueled thunderstorm known as the pyrocumulonimbus cloud, sent rapid winds shooting in all directions this week as a smoke column formed from the Utah fire then collapsed on itself, fire team information officer Jess Clark said.

“If they get high enough, they can also create downdrafts, and that’s something we really watch out for because that can quickly spread the fire and can be very dangerous for firefighters who are doing their work on the ground,” Jennings said.

Multiple fire crews in Utah were forced to retreat Wednesday as the unpredictable climate created by the clouds threatened their safety, officials said. Fire crews in both Utah and Arizona had better control of the blazes, but containment has been slipping as the fires grow rapidly.

The same type of cloud, which the National Aeronautics and Space Administration has dubbed the “fire-breathing dragon of clouds,” recently formed a fire tornado that tore through an eastern Utah neighborhood with wind speeds estimated at 122 miles (196 kilometers) per hour.

“Think of the fire as kind of like a hot-air balloon, so it adds buoyancy and things rise as a result," said Derek Mallia, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Utah who studies pyrocumulonimbus clouds and tracks fires in Utah and Arizona. “You get this towering thunderstorm over the fire, and just like any other thunderstorm it gets really windy underneath it. Because it’s the West, these thunderstorms tend to be very dry.”

These clouds, he said, may appear more frequently as climate change causes a longer fire season, drought conditions and extreme weather events.

A megafire — although not a formal scientific term — generally is a fire that has burned at least 156 square miles (404 square kilometers) — or about half the size of New York City.

The Dragon Bravo Fire on the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park surpassed that mark in the latest update Thursday. It was sparked by lightning on July 4 and being managed by the park to benefit the landscape.

About a week later, officials switched to suppressing it as conditions deteriorated, with hot, dry and windy weather pushing the flames toward the Grand Canyon Lodge and the historic cabins that surround it. The fire destroyed dozens of buildings and forced the closure of the North Rim for the rest of the season as hundreds of firefighters struggled to gain an upper hand.

Thursday marked the eighth straight day of historically dry conditions, Jennings said. Humidity levels have been in the single digits, fuel moisture levels are extremely low and wind gusts were expected to crank up to 35 miles per hour (54.7 kilometers per hour).

The pyrocumulus clouds have reached heights of at least 25,000 feet (7,620 meters), and fire behavior analyst Arthur Gonzales said they could go higher.

The direction of the wind has been fairly consistent for crews working the Dragon Bravo Fire. Although they have been strong, the predictability has allowed fire managers to more easily position crews on the fire lines. But when pyrocumulus clouds form and the winds become less predictable, Jennings said firefighters often have to be pulled back to safety.

Hot, dry winds fanned the flames of the Monroe Canyon Fire on Thursday as firefighters worked to contain the spread. The fire has burned 12 power poles, and many homes have been without electricity since Wednesday afternoon.

The National Weather Service issued red flag warnings for extreme fire danger in much of central and southwest Utah this week.

In Antimony, Utah, 54 miles (87 kilometers) south of Monroe, the town's 123 residents were without power Thursday afternoon. Mayor Kasey King, who was helping people gather food and supplies at a community center, said they could be without power for a week.

The power company, Garkane Energy Cooperative, said it is working to restore power as quickly as possible and has brought in backup generators.

Marnie Reynolds, a resident of Antimony, worried for the town's many elderly residents. She has been using a camp stove to offer hot meals to neighbors and is using a generator to help people refrigerate groceries and medications.

“We have been facing a lot of challenges, but we have the best community,” she said.

In Richfield, Utah, 10 miles (16 kilometers) north of Monroe, Lee Stevens said his yard was coated in ash. He and his wife, who has asthma and is sensitive to the smoke, have not yet been told to evacuate but are making preparations in case the fire spreads.

The National Interagency Fire Center said Thursday that even with fewer square miles having burned so far this year than average, many parts of the country remain vulnerable to new starts and fast-moving flames.

Montoya Bryan reported from Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Smoke rises from the Dragon Bravo Fire at the Grand Canyon as seen from Mather Point near Grand Canyon Village, Ariz., Monday, July 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell)

In this photo provided by the Hurricane Valley Fire District, a firefighter stands in front of the Monroe Canyon Fire near Monroe, Utah, Friday, July 25, 2025. (Hurricane Valley Fire District via AP)

In this photo provided by the Hurricane Valley Fire District, firefighters fill self-supporting tanks while working to subdue the Monroe Canyon Fire near Monroe, Utah, Friday, July 25, 2025. (Hurricane Valley Fire District via AP)

In this photo provided by the Hurricane Valley Fire District, a firefighter is silhouetted by the Monroe Canyon Fire near Monroe, Utah, July 16, 2025. (Hurricane Valley Fire District via AP)

In this photo provided by the Hurricane Valley Fire District, firefighters work to subdue the Monroe Canyon Fire near Monroe, Utah, Thursday, July 24, 2025. (Hurricane Valley Fire District via AP)

In this photo provided by the Hurricane Valley Fire District, the Monroe Canyon Fire blazes near Monroe, Utah, July 16, 2025. (Hurricane Valley Fire District via AP)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iranians could call abroad on mobile phones Tuesday for the first time since communications were halted during a crackdown on nationwide protests in which activists said at least 646 people have been killed.

Several people in Tehran were able to call The Associated Press and speak to a journalist there. The AP bureau in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, was unable to call those numbers back. The witnesses said SMS text messaging still was down and that internet users in Iran could connect to government-approved websites locally but nothing abroad.

The witnesses gave a brief glimpse into life on the streets of the Iranian capital over the four and a half days of being cut off from the world. They described seeing a heavy security presence in central Tehran.

Anti-riot police officers, wearing helmets and body armor, carried batons, shields, shotguns and tear gas launchers. They stood watch at major intersections. Nearby, the witnesses saw members of the Revolutionary Guard's all-volunteer Basij force, who similarly carried firearms and batons. Security officials in plainclothes were visible in public spaces as well.

Several banks and government offices were burned during the unrest, they said. ATMs had been smashed and banks struggled to complete transactions without the internet, the witnesses added.

However, shops were open, though there was little foot traffic in the capital. Tehran's Grand Bazaar, where the demonstrations began Dec. 28, was to open Tuesday. However, a witness described speaking to multiple shopkeepers who said the security forces ordered them to reopen no matter what. Iranian state media had not acknowledged that order.

The witnesses spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal.

U.S. President Donald Trump has said Iran wants to negotiate with Washington after his threat to strike the Islamic Republic over its crackdown.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, speaking to the Qatar-funded satellite news network Al Jazeera in an interview aired Monday night, said he continued to communicate with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff.

The communication “continued before and after the protests and are still ongoing," Araghchi said. However, “Washington’s proposed ideas and threats against our country are incompatible.”

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Iran’s public rhetoric diverges from the private messaging the administration has received from Tehran in recent days.

“I think the president has an interest in exploring those messages,” Leavitt said. “However, with that said, the president has shown he’s unafraid to use military options if and when he deems necessary, and nobody knows that better than Iran.”

Meanwhile, pro-government demonstrators flooded the streets Monday in support of the theocracy, a show of force after days of protests directly challenging the rule of 86-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iranian state television aired chants from the crowd, which appeared to number in the tens of thousands, who shouted “Death to America!” and “Death to Israel!”

Others cried out, “Death to the enemies of God!” Iran’s attorney general has warned that anyone taking part in protests will be considered an “enemy of God,” a death-penalty charge.

Trump announced Monday that countries doing business with Iran will face 25% tariffs from the United States. Trump announced the tariffs in a social media posting, saying they would be “effective immediately.”

It was action against Iran for the protest crackdown from Trump, who believes exacting tariffs can be a useful tool in prodding friends and foes on the global stage to bend to his will.

Brazil, China, Russia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates are among economies that do business with Tehran.

Trump said Sunday that his administration was in talks to set up a meeting with Tehran, but cautioned that he may have to act first as reports of the death toll in Iran mount and the government continues to arrest protesters.

“I think they’re tired of being beat up by the United States,” Trump said. “Iran wants to negotiate.”

Iran, through the country’s parliamentary speaker, warned Sunday that the U.S. military and Israel would be “legitimate targets” if Washington uses force to protect demonstrators.

More than 10,700 people also have been detained over the two weeks of protests, said the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which has been accurate in previous unrest in recent years and gave the latest death toll early Tuesday. It relies on supporters in Iran crosschecking information. It said 512 of the dead were protesters and 134 were security force members.

With the internet down in Iran, gauging the demonstrations from abroad has grown more difficult. The Associated Press has been unable to independently assess the toll. Iran’s government hasn’t offered overall casualty figures.

A picture of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is set alight by protesters outside the Iranian Embassy in London, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media shows protesters dancing and cheering around a bonfire as they take to the streets despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world, in Tehran, Iran, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026.(UGC via AP)

In this frame grab from footage circulating on social media from Iran showed protesters once again taking to the streets of Tehran despite an intensifying crackdown as the Islamic Republic remains cut off from the rest of the world in Tehran, Iran, Saturday Jan. 10, 2026. (UGC via AP)

FILE - Protesters march on a bridge in Tehran, Iran, on Dec. 29, 2025. (Fars News Agency via AP, File)