Lighting-caused wildfires closes Black Canyon; Evacuations underway
The two lightning-caused fires are confirmed to be actively burning: one near the south entrance of Black Canyon and one near the north rim.
Evacuations have been put in place at the park and nearby communities. The Colorado State Patrol (CSP) is assisting in evacuations.
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has responded. It is unknown what other agencies are responding.
Reportedly, a helicopter has been called in to assist.
Highway 347 at the junction of Highway 50 has been closed. It is advised that the public avoid the area for firefighting personnel and equipment to access the fires.
WesternSlopeNews will update this story as it develops.
Updates:
7:29 p.m. – Previously reported 'Officials told WesternSlopeNow that there have been considerations of closing Highway 347' has been updated for confirmed highway closures.
1:40 p.m. – Added cause of fire to headline and article
1:33 p.m. – Added information about the location of the fires and CSP assisting.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Bloomberg
9 hours ago
- Bloomberg
Philippines Braces for More Heavy Rain After Six People Killed
By and Ditas B Lopez Save Philippine authorities on Tuesday warned of continued strong rains this week that have killed six people, cut power in some areas and forced thousands to evacuate in the capital and nearby provinces. Monsoon rains and a tropical storm have combined to pour the equivalent of a month's worth of rain in just four days, Manila's weather bureau said, submerging many cities and displacing more than 17,000 individuals.
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Yahoo
Philippines flooding displaces thousands, two missing
Floodwaters driven by torrential rains ground life in the Philippine capital to a halt on Tuesday with tens of thousands evacuated from their homes and at least two people believed missing. Schools and government offices in Manila and the surrounding provinces were closed after a night of rain that saw the region's Marikina River burst its banks. More than 23,000 people living along the river were evacuated overnight, sheltering in schools, village halls and covered courtyards. Another 25,000 more were evacuated in the metropolitan area's Quezon and Caloocan cities. "Usually these people are from low-lying areas like beside creeks (feeding into the river)," according to Wilmer Tan of the Marikina rescue office, who said the river had reached 18 metres (59 feet) in height. An elderly woman and her driver were swept down a swollen creek as they attempted to cross a bridge in Caloocan, said John Paul Nietes, an emergency operations centre assistant supervisor. "Their car was recovered last night. The rescue operation is continuing, but as of today, they haven't found either of them," he said. "The car window was broken, so the hope is that they were able to escape." Floodwaters were receding on Tuesday morning, though thousands of people remained unable to return to their homes. Ongoing monsoon rains have killed at least three people and left another seven missing in the central and southern Philippines since Tropical Storm Wipha skirted the country on Friday, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council. At least 20 storms or typhoons strike or come near the Philippines each year, with the country's poorest regions typically the hardest hit. Deadly and destructive storms are becoming more powerful as the world gets warmer because of climate change. "This is hard, because if the rain will continue... the river will swell," Manila street sweeper Avelina Lumangtad, 61, told AFP as she stood next to a flooded thoroughfare. "The floods are dangerous." pam-cgm-cwl/dhw
CBS News
19 hours ago
- CBS News
Colorado's newest firefighting helicopter shelved for several weeks during wildfire season
In a case of bad timing, a helicopter purchased by the state for the specific purpose of fighting wildfires has been taken out of service in the middle of the summer fire season. The "state of the art" Firehawk is undergoing required regular maintenance, according to the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control. An agency spokesperson told CBS Colorado the craft was taken out of service July 13 for thorough, mandated inspections. Several wildfires were ignited by lightning strikes on Colorado Western Slope the same day the Firehawk was taken out of service. Four of the larger fires - the South Rim, Turner Gulch, Sowbelly and Deer Creek incidents - are still burning. "We currently have 5 mechanics working on to get it back up and operational ASAP," CDFPC's Tracy LeClair stated. The normal duration of such inspections is several weeks, LeClair added. "We are hoping for sooner than that," LeClair stated. "They understand the urgency of getting us back up as soon as possible, without compromising safety." The Firehawk is a version of the military's UH-70 Black Hawk built by Sikorsky. The Si70i's wildfire conversion features a 1,000-gallon belly tank, extended landing gear, and a retractable snorkel that can refill the tank in less than a minute. Colorado ordered the aircraft following the 2020 wildfire season, one of the state's worst on record. The fires that year included the Cameron Peak, Pine Gulch, Grizzly Creek, Williams Ford, Middle Fork, East Troublesome and Calwood blazes. Three of those - Cameron Peak, Pine Gulch and East Troublesome - were the largest wildfires (in acreage) in state history. Colorado's legislature approved almost $31 million in 2021 for the purchase of the Firehawk and the leasing of other helicopters until its arrival. State officials celebrated the purchase in a press conference. "Not only will the Firehawk be an additional resource for aggressive and early initial attack," said Mike Morgan, Director of Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control, at that press conference, "but it can also be used on longer duration wildfires." The state's Firehawk recently reached 480 hours of flight time, necessitating the scheduled maintenance, CDFPC's Tracy LeClair explained. "The military has the same scheduled maintenance and is down the same amount of time to perform these Safety Inspections as required by the manufacturer," LeClair stated. "The critical nature of performing quality maintenance on an aircraft is not like an ordinary vehicle. It cannot be postponed, and one mistake, malfunction, or component failure can be catastrophic and fatal, unlike rolling to the edge of a road and waiting for a tow truck when your car breaks down." The maintenance includes some disassembly of the Firehawk to inspect the airframe, and the flight control systems and components running throughout it. Both engines will be removed during the process. LeClair confirmed a second Firehawk is on order. "We were planning to perform this inspection in the winter months, but we had no choice on this 1st helicopter," she said. "Once we have our second helicopter, we can stagger the maintenance to ensure one aircraft is available at all times. We don't have a solid delivery date for the 2nd one yet, but it is tentatively scheduled for delivery and acceptance late summer/early fall."
