Fire at the Grand Canyon: Thousands of Visitors Brought to Safety

Two well-known national parks in the western United States have been closed due to severe fires. In both cases, visitors and staff were brought to safety. The affected areas are the Grand Canyon National Park in the state of Arizona and the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park in Colorado.

Evacuations at the Grand Canyon

On Thursday, July 10, 2025, the North Rim of the Grand Canyon was closed. The reason for this is a fire that broke out in the immediate vicinity at Jacob Lake on land managed by the Bureau of Land Management. Authorities stated that the fire started after a thunderstorm the previous evening. By Friday morning, the fire had spread to an area of about 3.9 square kilometers – containment had not yet been achieved at that time. The Coconino County Sheriff's Office coordinated the evacuation of the affected areas north of Jacob Lake as well as several campsites in the Kaibab National Forest.

Colorado Park also affected

About 260 miles southwest of Denver, in the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, another fire was reported. Lightning had also triggered several fires there, spreading to both rims of the canyon. The south side is particularly affected, where the fire covers about 6.5 square kilometers. Here too, the situation was still completely uncontrolled on Friday morning. The park administration cites high temperatures, low humidity, strong winds, and dry vegetation as reasons for the rapid spread.

Weather conditions hinder firefighting efforts

According to authorities, the weather conditions remain unfavorable for firefighting. No relief is expected in either region in the coming days. Firefighters are working intensively to contain the spread and enable a return to the parks as soon as possible.

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