A growing wildfire ignited by lightning is prompting evacuations near the Grand Canyon after burning through over 1,000 acres in Arizona.
The White Sage Fire prompted evacuations in parts of Grand Canyon National Park and all of Gunnison National Park near Jacob Lake, the National Park Service said on Thursday.
Lightning strikes on Thursday ignited wildfires on both the North Rim and South Rim of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, officials said. The Gunnison National Park, which is about 250 miles southwest of Denver, Colorado, was evacuated and remains closed.
The rapidly moving wildfire prompted officials to also evacuate the North Rim of the Grand Canyon National Park, the National Park Service said in a separate statement on Thursday. However, the fire has not yet moved into the Grand Canyon.
The fire, which is roughly 1,000 acres large and 0% contained as of Friday morning local time, according to the government.
Officials said the “high temperatures, very low humidity, gusty winds, and very dry vegetation across the region” created a risk for wildfires to occur.
On Friday, the National Park Service said in a post on X that “hiking into Grand Canyon is not advised today, with extreme heat and wildfire smoke inside the canyon.”
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