Grand Canyon Evacuations Due to Wildfires

On Friday, parts of the Grand Canyon were evacuated as wildfires spread, prompting concerns from the U.S. National Park Service about visitor reactions. Interestingly, the North Rim, which doesn’t attract as many tourists as the South Rim, was specifically impacted.

The Park Service instructed evacuees to move calmly and stick to paved roads. They also announced that North Rim Day Use would be closed until further notice. John Paxton from the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office indicated that about 40 officials were involved in the evacuation and many visitors had already left the area.

“There are a number of businesses in the vicinity, but we had already started self-evacuating before we got there. Most of the people we evacuated were campers,” he mentioned.

The fire, which is outside Grand Canyon National Park, is inching closer to a town known as the gateway to the North Rim, near Lake Jacob. Authorities reported that around 1,000 acres have burned, and the flames remain uncontrolled. This stunning natural wonder was shaped by the Colorado River over millions of years, creating a gorge that is more than 18 miles wide and nearly a mile deep.

Due to extreme heat and smoke from the wildfire, authorities have advised against hiking into the canyon. It’s worth noting that a 67-year-old man died earlier in the week while trying to reach the river under these harsh conditions.

Last year, nearly 5 million people visited the Grand Canyon. Meanwhile, Black Canyon in Gunnison National Park, another popular site in Colorado, was also closed on Friday due to wildfire concerns.