A fierce blaze that has burned along the Grand Canyon's North Rim since being sparked by lightning on July 4 has exploded in size in recent days, reaching "megafire" status and becoming the largest wildfire in the U.S. this year, according to the Arizona Republic.

Both it and the Monroe Fire, burning further north near Monroe, Utah, are generating pyrocumulus clouds — sometimes called "fire clouds" — that form when air over a fire becomes superheated and rises in large, smoky columns. The massive clouds are visible for hundreds of miles and resemble the shape of an anvil.

A wildfire in northern Arizona has grown thousands of acres in just a few days as firefighters continue to work to regain containment.

In its history, Arizona has battled major wildfires that have scorched large swaths of land, and now new ones are climbing up the list of largest acreage burned.

The Dragon Bravo Fire, ignited by lightning around July 4, has become the largest wildfire in the continental United States in 2025.