Two wildfires burning around 30 miles apart near the Grand Canyon grew to over 45,000 acres on July 13, according to state and federal fire officials.
The White Sage Fire burned 40,126 acres near the North Rim, while the Dragon Bravo Fire, burning to the south within Grand Canyon National Park, reached 5,000 acres according to InciWeb, a federal government wildfire tracker.
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management received reports of smoke on the evening of July 9 after a thunderstorm had moved through the White Sage area. The agency is coordinating with Coconino County on evacuations and closures.
GO evacuation orders were in effect near the Utah border, House Rock Valley Road and Buffalo Ranch Road to the east, Kaibab National Forest to the west and Grand Canyon National Park to the south, according to the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office.
The entire region was under a “go” status, requiring all residents and visitors to evacuate immediately.
Fire crews urged the public to avoid the area. Highway 89A was closed at Fredonia and Bitter Springs.
Over 500 fire personnel were assigned to the White Sage fire, while 70 were assigned to the Dragon Bravo Fire. Both fires remained at 0% containment on the morning of July 13.
Fire crews worked to secure containment lines near the Lonesome Ranch area while other crews and bulldozers worked uphill toward Highway 89A near the fire’s southern edge. No structures had been destroyed.
According to InciWeb, the White Sage Fire was sparked by lightning and intensified by strong winds and low relative humidity. It burned through grass, shrubs, and native pinyon-juniper trees, the BLM reported.
The Dragon Bravo Fire burned along the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, just south of the Basin, since igniting on July 4, according to InciWeb. It was also sparked by lightning.
Hot, dry, and windy conditions fueled its growth, with flames spreading through mixed conifer, aspen, and ponderosa pine forests, InciWeb reported.
“On the ground resources are now focusing on a full suppression strategy to protect structures in the North Rim developed area,” read Grand Canyon Park officials on InciWeb.
By the evening of July 12, the North and South Kaibab Trails, along with Phantom Ranch, were closed due to a damaged water treatment facility releasing chlorine gas.
A map of current evacuated areas was available on the county’s website.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 2 wildfires near Grand Canyon burn over 45K acres of wilderness
