Part of Grand Canyon evacuated as wildfire spreads

The propagation of forest fires forced the evacuation on Friday of a part of the famous Grand Canyon, the US National Park Service attractive for visitors to remain calm.

The northern edge of the canyon, less popular with tourists than the southern edge, was being eliminated due to a fire called White Sage Fire.

“The evacuates should travel calmly at normal speed and stay on the paved roads only. The use of the day of the north edge is closed until further notice,” said the service of the park in an order.

Jon Paxton, press officer at the Cortea Sheriff’s Bureau of Coconino, told AFP that officials had evacuated only forty people and that many visitors had already left.

“There is a hotel and businesses in the” Go “area, but they had evacuated before our arrival. Most of the people we evacuated were campers,” he said.

The fire burns outside the Grand Canyon National Park, but approaching Lake Jacob, Arizona, a city known as the Passerelle to the North edge.

About 1,000 acres (400 hectares) were burned and the fire is not under control, according to the authorities, which have published images of large columns of smoke rising above the brush desert.

One of the greatest wonders of the natural world, the Grand Canyon is the result of the Colorado river losing layers of red sandstone and other rocks for millions of years, leaving a notch up to 18 miles (30 km) wide and more than one mile (1.6 km) deep.

The park service advised to hike in the canyon, due to extreme heat and forest smoke.

A 67 -year -old man died on Tuesday while trying to reach the river in extreme thermal conditions.

Last year, just under five million people visited the site.

Another popular site, Black Canyon from Gunnison National Park in Colorado, was also closed on Friday due to a forest fire.

© 2025 AFP