Wildfires force evacuations at Grand Canyon's North Rim and Colorado's Black Canyon national park
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, about 260 miles (418 kilometers) southwest of Denver, closed Thursday morning after lighting sparked blazes on both rims, the park said. The wildfire on the South Rim has burned 2.5 square miles (6.5 square kilometers), 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 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 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 (3.9 square kilometers) with zero containment.
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Arab News
29 minutes ago
- Arab News
Wildfire destroys a historic Grand Canyon lodge and other structures
FLAGSTAFF: A fast-moving wildfire destroyed a historic lodge and dozens of other structures on the Grand Canyon's North Rim, forcing officials to close access to that area for the season, the park said Grand Canyon Lodge, the only lodging inside the park at the North Rim, was consumed by the flames, park Superintendent Ed Keable told park residents, staff and others in a meeting Sunday morning. He said the visitor center, the gas station, a waste water treatment plant, an administrative building and some employee housing were among the 50 to 80 structures lost. 'Numerous' historic cabins in the area also were destroyed, the park wildfires are burning at or near the North Rim, known as the White Sage Fire and the Dragon Bravo Fire. The latter is the one that impacted the lodge and other by lightning on July 4, the Dragon Bravo Fire was initially managed by authorities with a 'confine and contain' strategy to clear fuel sources. They shifted to aggressive suppression a week later as it rapidly grew to 7.8 square miles (20 square kilometers) because of hot temperatures, low humidity and strong wind gusts, fire officials injuries have been Governor Katie Hobbs called on the federal government late Sunday to investigate the National Park Service's response to the wildfire.'They must first take aggressive action to end the wildfire and prevent further damage,' she said in a post on X. 'But Arizonans deserve answers for how this fire was allowed to decimate the Grand Canyon National Park.'Millions of people visit the park annually, with most going to the more popular South Rim. The North Rim is open seasonally. It was evacuated last Thursday because of wildfire, and will remain closed for the rest of the season, the park said in a at the North Rim and hikers in the inner canyon were evacuated over the weekend. The park said along with the fire risk, they could potentially be exposed to chlorine gas after the treatment plant burned. Chlorine gas is heavier than air and can lead to blurred vision, irritation or respiratory problems if high amounts of it are breathed in, according to the Centers for Disease Control and on the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon also were told to bypass Phantom Ranch, which has a set of cabins and dormitories along the lodge burnedThe Grand Canyon Lodge was often the first prominent feature that visitors see, even before viewing the canyon. A highway ends at the lodge, which was known for its sloped roof, huge ponderosa beams and massive limestone facade. By walking across the lobby and descending a stairwell, visitors could get their first view of the Grand Canyon shining through windows across the 'Sun Room.''It just feels like you're a pioneer when you walk through there (the lodge),' said Tim Allen, a longtime resident of Flagstaff, Arizona, and yearly visitor to the Grand Canyon. 'It really felt like you were in a time gone by.'Allen said the North Rim felt special and more personal because of its remoteness and reduced number of tourists. He often spent time there camping and doing rim-to-rim hikes, trekking all the way to the bottom of the canyon and back out.'It's heartbreaking,' he said of the destruction caused by the Carney was staying at the lodge with her husband, parents and 12-year-old son when a park ranger knocked on their door Thursday and told them to evacuate. Carney's parents first took her to the North Rim in the early 90s when she was 12, and the family decided to do the same with her son this year now that he was the same age. She was overjoyed to show her husband and son the serene beauty of the North Rim for the first time, and to bring her dad back to one of his favorite places in the said she was heartbroken Sunday to hear that such a 'magical place' had burned down. After evacuating, the family from Georgia relocated to the South Rim to continue their vacation and they could see the blaze from across the canyon.'We told my son while visiting that this is now a family tradition and he should bring his children when they are 12,' Carney said. I hope there will be something as magnificent for them to see in the future, and I'm so glad we got to have one final look at it in the present before it was lost.'Aramark, the company that operated the lodge, said all employees and guests were safely evacuated.'As stewards of some our country's most beloved national treasures, we are devastated by the loss,' said spokesperson Debbie original lodge burned down from a kitchen fire in 1932, four years after construction was completed, according to the Grand Canyon Historical Society. The redesigned lodge using the original stonework opened in Sulpizio, president of the historical society, said the lodge contained some valuable archives that he wasn't sure were lobby also contained a famous 600-pound bronze statue of a donkey named 'Brighty the Burro.'Meanwhile, officials reported progress in battling a second wildfire burning north of the Grand Canyon. Fire lines on the White Sage Fire that forced evacuations at the North Rim and in the community of Jacob Lake were holding, officials said. By Sunday afternoon the fire had charred 63 square miles (162 square kilometers) of the southern edge of the fire, hand crews and bulldozers were working uphill, and the spread of the blaze had been to the east and north, the fire has spread rapidly, with grasses and standing dead trees contributing to the fire's intensity, officials said. The fire was pushing downhill toward the Vermilion Cliffs area, and crews were assessing opportunities to create buffer zones that help slow or halt the fire's closes national park in ColoradoElsewhere, one of several wildfires burning in Colorado that closed Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, about 260 miles (420 kilometers) southwest of Denver, has burned 5.6 square miles (14.5 square kilometers) and forced the evacuation of homes near the park. The fire was started by lightning on Thursday on the south rim of the park, a dramatic, deep gorge carved by the Gunnison Gov. Jared Polis issued a disaster declaration on Sunday because of it and other fires burning in western Colorado. His office said they were all started the same day by the same wildfire burning near the Colorado-Utah border near La Sal, Utah, also started Thursday and has burned around 14 square miles (36.3 square kilometers).
Al Arabiya
12 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
An official says a historic Grand Canyon lodge has been destroyed by wildfire
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – A historic lodge on the Grand Canyon's North Rim has been destroyed by a fast-moving wildfire, the park said Sunday. The Grand Canyon Lodge, the only lodging inside the park at the North Rim, was consumed by the flames, park Superintendent Ed Keable told park residents, staff, and others in a meeting Sunday morning. He said the visitor center, the gas station, a waste water treatment plant, an administrative building, and some employee housing were among the 50 to 80 structures lost. Two wildfires are burning at or near the North Rim, known as the White Sage Fire and the Dragon Bravo Fire. The latter is the one that impacted the lodge and other structures. The park initially was managing it as a controlled burn but then shifted to suppression as it rapidly grew to 7.8 square miles (20 square kilometers) because of hot temperatures, low humidity, and wind, fire officials said. No injuries have been reported. Millions of people visit Grand Canyon National Park annually, with most going to the more popular South Rim. The North Rim is open seasonally. It was evacuated last Thursday because of wildfire. Firefighters at the North Rim and hikers in the inner canyon were evacuated over the weekend. The park said along with the fire risk, they could potentially be exposed to chlorine gas after the treatment plant burned. Chlorine gas is heavier than air and can lead to blurred vision, irritation, or respiratory problems if high amounts of it are breathed in, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Rafters on the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon also were told to bypass Phantom Ranch, which has a set of cabins and dormitories along the river. The North Rim lodge was often the first prominent feature that visitors see even before viewing the canyon. A highway ends at the lodge, which was known for its sloped roof, huge ponderosa beams, and massive limestone façade. By walking across the lobby and descending a stairwell, visitors could get their first view of the Grand Canyon shining through windows across the Sun Room. Meanwhile, officials reported progress in battling a second wildfire burning north of the Grand Canyon. Fire lines on the White Sage Fire that forced evacuations at the North Rim and in the community of Jacob Lake were holding, officials said. On the southern edge of the fire, hand crews and bulldozers were working uphill and the spread of the blaze had been minimal. But to the east and north, the fire has spread rapidly with grasses and standing dead trees contributing to the fire's intensity, officials said. The fire was pushing downhill toward the Vermilion Cliffs area and crews were assessing opportunities to create buffer zones that help slow or halt the fire's progress. ___ This story has been updated to correct spelling of superintendent's last name to Keable not Keeble in the summary and second paragraph. ___ Associated Press writer Bruce Schreiner contributed to this report from Louisville, Kentucky.
Arab News
20 hours ago
- Arab News
Syria wildfires contained after 10 days
DAMASCUS: Syria's civil defense agency on Sunday said wildfires in the country's west, which have burned vast tracts of forest and farmland and forced evacuations, had been brought under control after 10 days. In a statement on Facebook, the agency said that 'with the spread of the fires halted and the fire hotspots brought under control on all fronts' on Saturday, teams on the ground were working to cool down the affected areas while monitoring any signs of reignition. The blazes in the coastal province of Latakia broke out amid an intense heatwave across the region. The UN humanitarian agency OCHA said they destroyed about 100 square kilometers of forest and farmland. As the fires raged, Syrian emergency workers faced tough conditions including high temperatures, strong winds, rugged mountainous terrain and the danger of explosive war remnants. This all comes in a country worn down by years of conflict and economic crisis. In a post on X, the Syrian minister for emergencies and disaster management, Raed Al-Saleh, said that with help from Turkish, Jordanian, Lebanese, Qatari and Iraqi teams, firefighters had 'managed to halt the spread of the fire on all fronts, which is the most important step toward containing the wildfires.' The 'situation is the best it has been in the past 10 days,' Saleh said late Saturday. 'There are still threats due to wind activity, but we are working to prevent any renewed expansion of the fires,' the minister added. The civil defense agency said rescue teams were carrying out 'operations to open pathways and firebreaks within the forests... in order to reduce the chances of fire spreading in case of reignition.' Authorities have not reported any casualties, but several towns in Latakia province have been evacuated as a precaution. Nearly seven months after the ousting of longtime ruler Bashar Assad, Syria is still reeling from more than a decade of civil war that ravaged the country's economy, infrastructure and public services. With man-made climate change increasing the likelihood and intensity of droughts and wildfires worldwide, Syria has also been battered by heatwaves and low rainfall. In June, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization said that Syria had 'not seen such bad climate conditions in 60 years.'
