National Park Service advises public not to hike at the Grand Canyon due to wildfires

The National Park Service (NPS) on Friday advised the public not to hike in the Grand Canyon for the time being because of wildfires near the park that prompted evacuations.

The NPS said the North Rim of the park is currently closed because of the fire, which began after lightning strikes hit the park on Thursday. The largest fire, dubbed the "White Sage Fire," has spread to over 8,000 acres so far and is 0% contained.

"Hiking into Grand Canyon is not advised today, with extreme heat and wildfire smoke inside the canyon," NPS posted to X. "The North Rim of the park is temporarily closed due to the White Sage Fire."

The White Sage Fire also threatened Gunnison National Park near Jacob Lake in Colorado. The park was also evacuated on Thursday and remains closed to the public, per NBC News.

Another fire is also threatening the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, but has only burned through 150 acres so far. No injuries have been reported from either fire so far.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.