‘Last night, the Grand Canyon team safely evacuated 500 visitors from the North Border due to the fire,’ said the North American park on social network X
At least 500 tourists were evacuated from an area of the Famous, in the southwest of the United States, due to a nearby rapidly spread forest fire, the US authorities announced on Friday. The White Sage fire, which began on Thursday (10), devastated more than 3,500 hectares of low vegetation near the northern edge of the national park and was still out of control at noon on Friday.
“Last night, the Grand Canyon team safely evacuated approximately 500 visitors from the North Border due to the fire,” the park said on social network X. “All visitors left an area, and the park’s employees and residents remained protected in their homes,” he added.
It is burning outside the Grand Canyon National Park, but is approaching Jacob Lake, Arizona, a city known as the entrance door to the north edge. Images provided by the authorities show large columns of smoke rising over the low vegetation desert.
“We evacuated about 40 people, but many more had left an area before our arrival,” said Jon Paxton, a spokesman for the Coconine County Sheriff, adding that most evacuates were campers. The southern edge of the park, an area that attracts the most visitors, remains accessible.
The Grand Canyon, a reddish throat excavated by the Colorado River, is one of the most visited tourist places in the United States, with almost five million visitors a year. Another southwest national park of the country, the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, in the state of Colorado, was completely emptied on Thursday due to another fire.
The latter, caused by lightning, has devastated more than 600 hectares, powered by strong winds, very dry vegetation and very high temperatures. A warning of extreme temperatures this week to the Grand Canyon Park was also issued, with expected temperatures that could exceed 46 ° C in some places. On Tuesday, a 67-year-old excursionist was found dead in the park. As long as investigations run, the first elements suggest that their death would be related to heat.
*With information from AFP
Posted by Carolina Ferreira
