A blaze is burning near the Grand Canyon, while firefighters in neighboring states are taking aim at wildfires that have destroyed homes or forced people to evacuate. Here’s a look at fires in the U.S. West:
Arizona
Favorable winds are helping crews working to keep a 2-week-old wildfire from moving toward the highway that allows tourists to get to the lodge, restaurant and main campgrounds on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.
State Route Highway 67 and the North Rim remain open, but the fire has closed access roads to two park viewpoints. A plume of smoke could be seen from the more popular South Rim amid the busy summer season.
About 500 personnel are fighting the fire, which has burned nearly 5 square miles of aspen and pine since lightning ignited it June 29.
New Mexico
A wildfire has destroyed or damaged at least 30 homes in a southern New Mexico mountain village, and the number could rise, officials say.
Another 30 structures have burned in Timberon, but it’s been difficult to determine what type of buildings they are, fire management team spokeswoman Beth Mitchell said. All that’s left in some cases are the remains of roofs, so workers need to contact owners about their properties.
Many residences are second homes, so many people had other places to stay or weren’t in the area when authorities went door to door Wednesday to recommend evacuating, Otero County Sheriff Benny House said.
No injuries have been reported from the fire, which started Wednesday in wooded, hilly terrain and has burned nearly a half square mile. A cause is under investigation.
Colorado
A wildfire chased residents from 140 homes in a tiny Colorado town this week, and they may not be allowed back for another week or more.
A number of the evacuated homes in Coaldale, about 150 miles southwest of Denver, are near where firefighters are working to contain the 25-square-mile blaze. They could be slowed by an increase in fire activity.
Residents have been told it could be a week or two before they can return, said Kale Casey of the U.S. Forest Service. Many were briefly allowed back to check on their homes Friday.
People began evacuating Sunday after the fire flared up from a lightning strike several days earlier in the rugged Sangre de Cristo Wilderness.
Crews have contained other fires in the state, including one that destroyed eight homes in the mountains near Boulder. All evacuees were allowed to return late Thursday.
