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Smoke from fires on the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park/Rebecca Latson

Several wildfires have been spotted on the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park, where crews were working aggressively to contain most of them.

Park staff attributed the starts to recent monsoonal activity that resulted in lightning strikes on the North Rim. On Tuesday, fire crews were actively working to suppress three fires within the park.

The Saffron Fire, located between Fire Point and Swamp Point, was being directly suppressed. Fire crews were working to contain the fire at the smallest possible size by digging handline around the fire's perimeter, a park release said. The fire started in the southwest corner of the Kaibab National Forest late last week and had moved into the park. It was estimated at 30 acres and backing and flanking in Ponderosa pine forest.

Fire crews were also directly suppressing the Atoko Fire, detected on July 22, on the east side of Cape Royal Road, near Atoko Point. Approximately 20 acres in size, the fire was creeping and smoldering within Ponderosa pine and brush fuels.

The Obi Fire was detected on July 21 and was located in the far southwest corner of the Wahalla Plateau above Obi Point. It was approximately 40 acres in size and burning in Ponderosa pine and brush. Fire managers plan to confine and contain the Obi Fire to a defined planning area while providing for point protection of identified sensitive natural and cultural resources.

The Imperial Fire, located along the Cape Royal Road near Vista Encantada, had been contained at 1.5 acres.

Smoke was visible from both the north and south rims of the park. At this time there were no road closures, but individuals driving along Cape Royal Road should be aware of fire crews working in the vicinity. Motorist should turn on their headlights and slow down for emergency response vehicles.

Each fire start is evaluated by fire management officials for the most appropriate management strategy. Firefighter safety, resources at risk, location of the fire, available resources, regional and national preparedness levels, and weather forecast are taken into consideration when responding to a wildfire ignition.