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Wildfires force evacuations at two national parks in the US west | National parks

Wildfires force evacuations at two national parks in the US west | National parks

Visitors and staff at two national parks in the US west have been evacuated because of wildfires.

Black Canyon of the Gunnison national park, about 260 miles (418km ) south-west of Denver, closed Thursday morning after lighting sparked blazes on both rims, the park said. The wildfire on the South Rim has burned 2.5 sq miles (6.5 sq km), 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 on Friday.

The Grand Canyon’s North Rim in Arizona also closed on Thursday because of a wildfire on adjacent Bureau of Land Management land near Jacob Lake. 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 began on Wednesday evening after a thunderstorm moved through the area, fire officials said. It has burned about 1.5 sq miles (3.9 sq km) with zero containment.


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