Visitors and staff at two national parks in the US West have been evacuated because of wildfires. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, about 260 miles southwest of Denver, closed Thursday morning after lightning sparked blazes on both rims, the park said. According to an early Friday update from WatchDuty, the wildfire on the South Rim has burned 2.5 square miles, with no containment of the perimeter. The conditions there have been ripe for wildfire with hot temperatures, low humidity, gusty winds, and dry vegetation, the park said, adding that weather will remain a concern Friday. The park said the fire on the North Rim is much smaller, CPR News reports.
The Grand Canyon's North Rim in Arizona also closed Thursday because of a wildfire on adjacent Bureau of Land Management land near Jacob Lake, the AP reports. The Coconino County Sheriff's Office said it helped 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. Officials said the North Rim will remain 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," the National Park Service said in a statement.
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