Grand Canyon among US national parks evacuated due to wildfires
The Grand Canyon 's North Rim in Arizona closed Thursday because of a wildfire on adjacent Bureau of Land Management land near Jacob Lake that began Wednesday evening after a thunderstorm moved through the area.
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 burned about 1.5 square miles (3.9 square kilometers) with zero containment.
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, about 260 miles (418 kilometers) southwest of Denver, also closed Thursday morning after lightning 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.
On Tuesday, a 67-year-old man died while hiking in the Grand Canyon, according to the National Park Service.
The hiker, who was from Alvarado, Texas, was attempting to reach the Colorado River and stay overnight at Phantom Ranch, a lodging stop on a popular 15-mile round-trip route that typically takes two days of hiking.
Around 11:50am, officials got a call that the hiker had been found unresponsive on the South Kaibab Trail, the same place where a different Texas man died last July, trying to reach Phantom Ranch.
Park officials said the man's death was a reminder of the risks of hiking in extreme summer heat in the canyon.
'In the summer, temperatures on exposed parts of the trail can exceed 120°F (49°C) in the shade, creating extremely hazardous conditions for hikers,' the parks service said in its statement announcing the death.
Officials urged hikers to refrain from hiking between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. under such conditions.
'Park rangers strongly advise against hiking in the inner canyon during those hours and urge all visitors to take extreme caution when planning hikes during the summer months.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Tragic end to search for missing Camp Mystic counselor Katherine Ferruzzo after Texas floods wiped out cabins
The search for 19-year-old Camp Mystic counselor Katherine Ferruzzo has come to a heartbreaking end with her remains recovered from the mud-clogged banks of the Guadalupe River. Her body was found on Friday morning, eight days after flash floods turned a summer refuge into a deadly disaster zone. Ferruzzo, a recent high school graduate from Houston, had been missing since the early hours of July 4, when a wall of raging water tore through the all-girls Christian summer camp near Hunt, Texas. The tragedy unfolded in the darkness as chaos broke out with cabins were obliterated and bunks swept away and dozens of lives from the camp snuffed out. Her family confirmed her death in a solemn statement: 'On Friday, July 11, 2025, Katherine Ferruzzo's remains were found. We are incredibly grateful to all the search and rescue professionals and volunteers who have remained steadfast in their efforts to locate the victims of this tragedy. We would especially like to thank the Texas Rangers.' Ferruzzo is one of at least 27 confirmed dead from the catastrophic flooding that overwhelmed Camp Mystic, and one of 129 people killed in what is now being called the deadliest flash flood event in Texas history. For generations of Texas girls, Camp Mystic has been a beloved summer tradition - a place of faith, friendship, and freedom under the stars. Founded in 1926, the camp has never seen a disaster of this magnitude. Its historic riverside cabins, some nearly a century old, were crushed or swept away by the torrent. Officials say many of the victims were caught in their bunks or separated during efforts to escape. The flood was far more severe than the 100-year event envisioned by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, experts said, and moved so quickly in the middle of the night that it caught many off guard in a county that lacked a warning system. The sheer amount of rain was overwhelming. Former NOAA chief scientist Ryan Maue, a private meteorologist, calculated on July 5 that the storm had dropped 120 billion gallons of water on Kerr County, which received the brunt of the storm. Camp organizers have yet to release a full statement, although several staffers have been working closely with the families of the missing. Ferruzzo had been preparing to begin a degree in education at the University of Texas at Austin, with dreams of becoming a special education teacher. Friends and family described her as kind, selfless, and committed to helping others, especially children with learning differences. Her loved ones are now channeling their grief into a cause she cared about deeply. The 13 girls and two counselors, including Ferruzzo were staying in Camp Mystic's Bubble Inn cabin when the catastrophic floods hit on the morning of July 4 The Katherine Ferruzzo Legacy Foundation is being established in her honor 'to support those with special needs and learning differences,' the family announced. The July 4 flood began with a wall of water, the result of hours of tropical rainfall that saturated the region overnight. As campers slept in wooden cabins the Guadalupe River had swelled by 26 feet by 4:30am. The campsites, some of them situated just yards from the river's edge, stood no chance. Survivors have spoken of being jolted awake by the raging water, then running blindly through the darkness as cabins collapsed around them. Search teams worked for days through tangled debris, uprooted trees, and collapsed structures deploying boats, drones, cadaver dogs, and helicopters. But the sheer force of the flood and the river's strong current has made recovery agonizingly slow. Ferruzzo was among the last missing campers still unaccounted for before her body was found. Across Texas, the death toll has continued to rise with dozens still unaccounted for, many presumed drowned. Entire towns across the Hill Country have been ravaged with roads remaining impassable, and in some counties the power has yet to be restored. Governor Greg Abbott declared a state of emergency days ago, calling the disaster 'a once-in-a-century flood event.' In Kerr County alone, more than 80 structures were destroyed with families displaced indefinitely. On Sunday, more heavy rains in Texas paused the weeklong search for victims officials warned that the downpours could again cause waterways to surge. It was the first time a new round of severe weather had paused the search since the July Fourth floods. In Kerrville, where local officials have come under scrutiny about the warnings given to residents, authorities went door-to-door to some homes after midnight early on Sunday to alert people that flooding was again possible. Authorities also pushed alerts to the phones of those in the area. Ingram Fire Department officials ordered search crews to immediately evacuate the Guadalupe River corridor in Kerr County until further notice, warning the potential for a flash flood is high. Search-and-rescue efforts are expected to resume on Monday, depending on river flow, fire department spokesman Brian Lochte said. 'We're working with a few crews and airboats and SAR (search-and-rescue) boats just in case,' Lochte said. Gov. Greg Abbott said on X that the state was making rescues in San Saba, Lampasas and Schleicher counties and that evacuations were taking place in a handful of others. The latest round of flooding damaged about 100 homes and knocked down untold lengths of cattle fencing, said Ashley Johnson, CEO of the Hill Country Community Action Association, a San Saba-based nonprofit. 'Anything you can imagine in a rural community was damaged,' she said. 'Our blessing is it was daylight and we knew it was coming.' With more rain on the way, county officials ordered everyone living in flood-prone areas near the San Saba River to evacuate. Johnson said people were being moved to the San Saba Civic Center, which has become a safe, high place for people to receive aid and shelter. 'Everyone is in some way personally affected by this,' she said. 'Everyone is just doing what they can to help their neighbors.' The weather system brought multiple rounds of heavy rains and slow-moving storms across a widespread area, pushing rivers and streams over their banks. Heading into the afternoon and evening, the heaviest rains were expected along the I-35 corridor and eastwards, said meteorologist Patricia Sanchez from the National Weather Service's Fort Worth office.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Tourists mourn historic Grand Canyon lodge burned to the ground by wildfire
Visitors of a historic lodge on the Grand Canyon 's North Rim have expressed their heartbreak online, after the structure was destroyed by a fast-moving wildfire. 'This is a devastating loss for park employees, all of us who've had the pleasure of staying here, and everyone who will never get a chance to see it,' one user wrote, after the National Park announced the news Sunday. The Grand Canyon Lodge, the only lodging inside the park at the North Rim, was consumed by the flames, according to park Superintendent Ed Keeble. He added that the visitor center, the gas station, a waste water treatment plant, an administrative building and some employee housing also were lost to the flames. An Instagram post sharing the news garnered almost 5,000 likes by Sunday afternoon, with those that had stayed at the lodge sharing their experiences and grief at its destruction. 'Our family from NY met up with my dad who traveled there from KY [ Kentucky ],' one user wrote. 'We sat on the porch and waited for him. He walked up behind us and we literally cried- not because we hadn't seen each other in a long time, but because we were there in that beautiful place together... I'm going to call and tell him- and we will cry together.' Another wrote: 'We brought our two boys here on an RV trip in 2023 (3 and 18 months). This visitor center is where our youngest picked out a Mountain Lion he named Roar. He still sleeps with him. We've sat in those chairs and held our boys while looking out at this view. Such a devastating loss.' Others had extra special connections to the lodge. 'My Great-grandfather, Truman Welling, built the lodge. I was looking forward to finally taking my children to see it this fall,' wrote Michele Welling Kingsford, adding a crying emoji. The destruction of the lodge comes as two wildfires continue to burn near the North Rim, known as the White Sage Fire and the Bravo Dragon 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, fire officials said. Millions of people visit the Grand Canyon National Park annually, with most going to the more popular South Rim. The North Rim is open seasonally. The area was evacuated last Thursday because of wildfire. The burning of the waste water treatment plant resulted in the release of chlorine gas that prompted the evacuation of firefighters and hikers from the inner canyon, park officials said Sunday. Chlorine gas is heavier than air and can quickly settle into lower elevations such as the inner canyon, posing a health risk.
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Florida beachgoers struck by lightning
By Three people were injured after being struck by lightning on a packed Florida beach. The terrifying incident occurred at the St. Augustine Pier, a popular spot for vacationers and locals alike, on Saturday night. A sudden storm rolled in and bolts of lightning lit up the sky on beachgoers. Two of the victims were rushed to the hospital with one reportedly in critical condition, according to WJXT. The other suffered minor injuries and a third person declined medical treatment despite being hit. St. John's County Fire Rescue closed the pier and began inspecting it for damage while treating the injured. Officials said they expect it to reopen Monday. St. Augustine Beach Mayor Dylan Rumrell urged residents and visitors to take incoming storms seriously. 'There's a big storm and lightning can hit at any time,' he told News4Jax. If you hear thunder, seek shelter immediately, he emphasized. Witnesses described a chaotic scene as the lightning struck. 'All of a sudden in the corner of my eye, I see a big flash, two seconds later I hear this boom and now my ears are ringing,' a witness Jamar told the outlet. 'I'm confused on what just happened. I'm over here scared, shocked, I don't even know.'
