Visitors and staff at two national parks — Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, and Grand Canyon’s North Rim — have been evacuated because of wildfires that started on Wednesday and Thursday.
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, about 260 miles southwest of Denver, closed Thursday morning after lightning sparked blazes on both rims of the canyon. The wildfire on the South Rim had burned about 2.5 square miles as of Friday morning, with no containment of the perimeter.
The conditions there — hot temperatures, low humidity, gusty winds and dry vegetation — have been ripe for wildfire, and the Park says weather will remain a concern Friday.
From the National Park website:
Lightning-caused wildfires are burning on both rims of Black Canyon. The park is currently closed and all visitors and staff are being evacuated. Do not enter the park until further notice. Updates will be provided when more information is available.
In Arizona, the Grand Canyon’s North Rim closed Thursday because of a wildfire on adjacent Bureau of Land Management land. The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office reported that it was helping evacuate people from an area north of Jacob Lake and campers in the Kaibab National Forest nearby.
The fire began Wednesday evening after a thunderstorm moved through the area, fire officials said. It has burned about 1.5 square miles with zero containment.
From the National Park website:
Effective immediately, Grand Canyon National Park has temporarily closed the North Rim until further notice due to the White Sage Fire near Jacob Lake, Ariz. The White Sage Fire is located on BLM lands and is not currently burning within Grand Canyon National Park.
Due to the fire’s progression toward Jacob Lake, which is now under evacuation orders, all visitors on the North Rim are required to evacuate immediately. State Route 89A to Fredonia is closed. State Route 89A east toward Lees Ferry and Page remains open to traffic towards Lees Ferry. North Rim day use is also closed until further notice.
This fire is not related to the Dragon Bravo Fire, a lightning-caused fire being managed for resource objectives south of The Basin on the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park.