Latest news with #CoconinoCounty
Condé Nast Traveler
16-07-2025
- Condé Nast Traveler
Wildfires Continue to Burn At the Grand Canyon—Here's What to Know
Flames licking burnt-orange cliff edges; plumes of smoke blotting out the sun. These are the scenes currently meeting visitors at one of America's most-treasured natural wonders, the Grand Canyon, where two wildfires have burned out of control since July 10. As of July 16, the Dragon Bravo and White Sage fires continue to burn close to the Grand Canyon's North Rim, forcing the evacuation of the area and causing the destruction of more than 80 buildings, including the historic Grand Canyon Lodge. If you have upcoming plans to visit the Grand Canyon National Park, here's what to know. What caused the Grand Canyon fires? Lightning ignited both the Dragon Bravo Fire (on July 4) and the White Sage Fire (on July 9) in northeastern Arizona's Coconino County. Together, the two fires have burned more than 60,000 acres of land, according to the Bureau of Land Management's wildfire tracking website. After an early and fierce start to the season, 2025 is shaping up to be a severe wildfire year in the United States—as of July 15, 37,878 wildfires have burned approximately 2.57 million acres. Metereologists warned that hotter, drier conditions would escalate the risk of wildfires, leading some, including Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs, to question why the federal government opted to treat the Dragon Bravo Fire as a controlled burn during what Hobbs called 'the driest, hottest part of the Arizona summer.' What is the status of the Grand Canyon's North Rim? With both fires continuing to spread, the Grand Canyon's North Rim will be closed for the rest of the 2025 season, which runs from May 15 to October 15 each year. Travelers will have to wait until spring 2026 to access visitor services and trails, including the inner canyon North and South Kaibab trails, as well as the Bright Angel Trail below Havasupai Gardens and the Rim-to-Rim trail that leads hikers 21 miles from the North to South Rim. Bright Angel Campground and Phantom Ranch, both located at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, around 9 miles from the South Rim and 14 miles from the North Rim, are also closed for the season. As no injuries or deaths have been reported so far, the most significant loss to date has been that of the Grand Canyon Lodge, a National Historic Landmark located at the North Rim's Bright Angel Point. Constructed with native Kaibab limestone and ponderosa pine logs in 1927—then rebuilt after a fire in 1936—the lodge was the last of the early 20th-century National Park lodges to remain intact. After it was reported to have been destroyed on July 13, Arizona Senator Ruben Gallego said: 'Arizona lost more than a historic lodge, it lost a piece of our state history.' A statement from Aramark, the concessionaire responsible for the Grand Canyon Lodge, detailed that 'guests with upcoming reservations will hear from us soon.' Which parts of the Grand Canyon are unaffected? While the North Rim attracts relatively fewer visitors (drawing just over 81,000 out of a total of almost five million Grand Canyon National Park visitors last year), the South Rim stays open year-round and is consistently busy. Fortunately, then, the South Rim has been largely unaffected. AAt the time of writing, Xanterra's entire collection of Grand Canyon National Park Lodges, including the El Tovar Hotel and the Bright Angel, Kachina, Thunderbird and Maswik lodges, remain open—and have ample availability in July and August, and limited openings in September and October. The South Rim Visitor Center also remains open and ranger activities continue as planned.
Medscape
15-07-2025
- Health
- Medscape
Pneumonic Plague Death Confirmed in Arizona
Death from pneumonic plague was confirmed in a resident of Coconino County, Arizona, on July 11, 2025, according to a press release from the county's health and human services department. Although plague is rare in humans, it is endemic in the southwestern United States, and Coconino County Health and Human Services (CCHHS) maintains surveillance for the disease, according to the press release. "The source of the exposure is still under investigation; however, the death is not related to a recent report of a prairie dog die-off in the Townsend Winona area, northeast of Flagstaff," a media spokesperson from CCHHS told Medscape Medical News. Prairie dogs are highly susceptible to plague but tend to die off quickly after an infection; they serve as an indicator species for the presence of plague, but not as long-term disease vectors, according to the press release. Plague was not found to be present in the prairie dog colony with the recent die-off, the spokesperson added. The bacterium Yersinia pestis, the source of plague, originates in fleas and is transmissible to animals or humans through a bite from an infected flea, according to the CDC. Humans can get plague from handling infected animals as well. Plague cycles naturally among rodents in the wild, such as prairie dogs, but plague caused by bites is more likely to be bubonic plague or septicemic plague, according to the CDC. Pneumonic plague is spread by inhalation of bacteria-containing droplets and affects the lungs. Notably, cats are highly susceptible to plague and can become infected by eating infected rodents, as well as from flea bites, according to the CDC. Cats with plague pose a risk of transmitting infectious plague droplets resulting in pneumonic plague to their owners or to veterinarians, according to the CDC. In humans, plague symptoms usually appear within about a week of exposure and may include chills and fever, headache, weakness, and muscle pain, as well as swollen lymph nodes in some cases, according to the CCHHS press release. Although the public health risk for plague remains low, Arizona public health officials recommend standard precautions such as avoiding contact with wild animals and fleas and seeking prompt veterinary care for sick pets. Officials also recommend removing piles of brush, rocks, trash, or lumber from homes and outbuildings because these could promote rodent infestations.
The Guardian
14-07-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Arizona resident dies from pneumonic plague, health officials say
A person has died from pneumonic plague in Coconino county, Arizona, the first such death there since 2007 – though officials are saying the death is unrelated to a recent die-off of prairie dogs in the area that may also be plague-related. Health officials in Coconino county, which incorporates part of the Grand Canyon national park and lies north of Flagstaff, confirmed the death on 11 July. Pneumonic plague, a severe lung infection, is rare in humans, with only about seven cases reported annually in the US. Unlike bubonic plague, which killed millions in medieval Europe, it can be spread through airborne droplets. While both are caused by the Yersinia pestis bacterium, bubonic plague is transmitted through rodent flea bites or contact with contaminated material – and it primarily affects the lymph nodes while pneumonic plague causes pneumonia and respiratory symptoms. Authorities said the person, whose age, name and gender have not been released, had entered the Flagstaff Medical Center emergency department and died on the same day. Hospital operator Northern Arizona Healthcare said in a statement that 'despite appropriate initial management and attempts to provide life-saving resuscitation, the patient did not recover'. The death of the Coconino county resident marks the first recorded pneumonic plague death in the county in 18 years but not the most recent human plague case in Arizona – the state has recorded seven cases of plague since 2006. The 2007 death reportedly occurred after the person involved had contact with a dead animal infected with plague. Nationally, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says about seven human cases of plague are reported annually across the country, but only 15 plague deaths have been recorded in a 23-year period beginning in 2000. Most cases have been seen in rural areas in the west. Typically, the CDC says, Yersinia pestis cycles naturally among wild rodents. And while most people contract the disease though flea bites, they can become infected through exposure to sick pets, especially cats. The plague death comes as officials in the county are investigating a sudden die-off of prairie dogs north-east of Flagstaff that may be caused by plague. County officials have said they do not think the human plague death and the prairie dog mortalities are related. But they also issued guidelines about how to avoid contracting the plague, including avoiding contact with wild animals, touching sick or dead animals, camping near rodent burrows, or sleeping directly on the ground. They advise using insect repellent and tucking the cuffs of your trouser leg into your socks. Coconino county health officials said the risk of human-to-human transmission of pneumonic plague is low. The last such transmission was in Los Angeles in 1924, according to National Institutes of Health (NIH) data. Still, the symptoms of the Black Death – named for black spots that appeared on infected bodies – remain present. US health officials say plague symptoms typically appear within eight days after exposure and may include fever, chills, headache, weakness and muscle pain, and some may develop swollen lymph nodes (called 'buboes'), most commonly in the groin, armpits or limbs. But the timing of the human plague death, and the prairie dog die-off, is raising concerns. Plague is one of many diseases endemic to the south-western US, including West Nile virus, hantavirus and rabies. Trish Lees, communications manager for Coconino county, told the Arizona Republic the number of prairie dogs that have died was unknown.
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Arizona resident dies from pneumonic plague, health officials say
A person has died from pneumonic plague in Coconino county, Arizona, the first such death there since 2007 – though officials are saying the death is unrelated to a recent die-off of prairie dogs in the area that may also be plague-related. Health officials in Coconino county, which incorporates part of the Grand Canyon national park and lies north of Flagstaff, confirmed the death on 11 July. Pneumonic plague, a severe lung infection, is rare in humans, with only about seven cases reported annually in the US. Unlike bubonic plague, which killed millions in medieval Europe, it can be spread through airborne droplets. While both are caused by the Yersinia pestis bacterium, bubonic plague is transmitted through rodent flea bites or contact with contaminated material – and it primarily affects the lymph nodes while pneumonic plague causes pneumonia and respiratory symptoms. Authorities said the person, whose age, name and gender have not been released, had entered the Flagstaff Medical Center emergency department and died on the same day. Hospital operator Northern Arizona Healthcare said in a statement that 'despite appropriate initial management and attempts to provide life-saving resuscitation, the patient did not recover'. The death of the Coconino county resident marks the first recorded pneumonic plague death in the county in 18 years but not the most recent human plague case in Arizona – the state has recorded seven cases of plague since 2006. Nationally, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says about seven human cases of plague are reported annually across the country, but only 15 plague deaths have been recorded in a 23-year period beginning in 2000. Most cases have been seen in rural areas in the west. Typically, the CDC says, Yersinia pestis cycles naturally among wild rodents. And while most people contract the disease though flea bites, they can become infected through exposure to sick pets, especially cats. The plague death comes as officials in the county are investigating a sudden die-off of prairie dogs north-east of Flagstaff that may be caused by plague. County officials have said they do not think the human plague death and the prairie dog mortalities are related. But they also issued guidelines about how to avoid contracting the plague, including avoiding contact with wild animals, touching sick or dead animals, camping near rodent burrows, or sleeping directly on the ground. They advise using insect repellent and tucking the cuffs of your trouser leg into your socks. Coconino county health officials said the risk of human-to-human transmission of pneumonic plague is low. The last such transmission was in Los Angeles in 1924, according to National Institutes of Health (NIH) data. Still, the symptoms of the Black Death – named for black spots that appeared on infected bodies – remain present. US health officials say plague symptoms typically appear within eight days after exposure and may include fever, chills, headache, weakness and muscle pain, and some may develop swollen lymph nodes (called 'buboes'), most commonly in the groin, armpits or limbs. But the timing of the human plague death, and the prairie dog die-off, is raising concerns. Plague is one of many diseases endemic to the south-western US, including West Nile virus, hantavirus and rabies. Trish Lees, communications manager for Coconino county, told the Arizona Republic the number of prairie dogs that have died was unknown.
The Guardian
14-07-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Arizona resident dies from pneumonic plague, health officials say
A person has died from pneumonic plague in Coconino county, Arizona, the first such death there since 2007 – though officials are saying the death is unrelated to a recent die-off of prairie dogs in the area that may also be plague-related. Health officials in Coconino county, which incorporates part of the Grand Canyon national park and lies north of Flagstaff, confirmed the death on 11 July. Pneumonic plague, a severe lung infection, is rare in humans, with only about seven cases reported annually in the US. Unlike Bubonic plague, which killed millions in medieval Europe, it can be spread through airborne droplets. While both are caused by the Yersinia pestis bacterium, bubonic plague is transmitted through rodent flea bites or contact with contaminated material – and it primarily affects the lymph nodes while pneumonic plague causes pneumonia and respiratory symptoms. Authorities said the person, whose age, name and gender have not been released, had entered the Flagstaff Medical Center emergency department and died on the same day. Hospital operator Northern Arizona Healthcare said in a statement that 'despite appropriate initial management and attempts to provide life-saving resuscitation, the patient did not recover'. The death of the Coconino county resident marks the first recorded pneumonic plague death in the county in 18 years but not the most recent human plague case in Arizona – the state has recorded seven cases of plague since 2006. Nationally, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say about seven human cases of plague are reported annually across the country, but only 15 plague deaths have been recorded in a 23-year period beginning in 2000. Most cases have been seen in rural areas in the west. Typically, the CDC says, Yersinia pestis cycles naturally among wild rodents. And while most contract the disease though flea bites, they can become infected through exposure to sick pets, especially cats. The plague death comes as officials in the county are investigating a sudden die-off of prairie dogs north-east of Flagstaff that may be caused by plague. County officials have said they don't think the human plague death and the prairie dog mortalities are related. But they also issued guidelines about how to avoid contracting the plague, including avoiding contact with wild animals, touching sick or dead animals, camping near rodent burrows, or sleeping directly on the ground. They advise using insect repellent and tucking the cuffs of your trouser leg into your socks. Coconino county health officials said the risk of human-to-human transmission of pneumonic plague is low. The last such transmission was in Los Angeles in 1924, according to National Institutes of Health (NIH) data. Still, the symptoms of the Black Death – named for black spots that appeared on infected bodies – remain present. US health officials say plague symptoms typically appear within eight days after exposure and may include fever, chills, headache, weakness and muscle pain, and some may develop swollen lymph nodes (called 'buboes'), most commonly in the groin, armpits or limbs. But the timing of the human plague death, and the prairie dog die-off, is raising concerns. Plague is one of many diseases endemic to the south-western US, including West Nile virus, hantavirus and rabies. Trish Lees, communications manager for Coconino county, told the Arizona Republic the number of prairie dogs that have died was unknown.
