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Grand Canyon closes North Rim road, trails due to wildfire

The Obi Fire has grown to 3.5 square miles since it started on July 21. The closure does not affect most North Rim facilities.

The Obi Fire burns on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon on July 30, 2018. (Photo: Grand Canyon NPS via Twitter)

GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. (AP) - Grand Canyon National Park is closing a scenic road to a North Rim vista and two trails because of a lightning-caused wildfire that has grown to 3.5 square miles (9 sq. kilometers).

Park officials said Cape Royal Road, Cape Final Trail and Cliff Spring Trail would be closed Saturday night for public and firefighter safety.

The closure does not affect most North Rim facilities, including lodging and other services near Bright Angel Point.

The Obi Fire started July 21. Fire managers are following a strategy of confining and containing the fire while trying to protect specific natural and culture resources."

Park officials say smoke from the fire is visible from both rims and that visitors may see smoke or haze in the canyon.

Smoke filling Grand Canyon yesterday afternoon, mostly from the Rain Fire, east of Tusayan, AZ and south of the park boundary in the Kaibab National Forest. Photo taken on the Canyon Rim Trail, between Yavapai Geology Museum and Verkamps Visitor Center. NPS/J.Childs. . . The #ObiFire on the North Rim is now 743 acres. At this time there are no road or trail closures within the park or on the Kaibab National forest, however individuals looking to hike out near Obi point should check in with the backcountry office or visitor center before choosing a route. Visitors driving along Cape Royal Road should be aware of fire crews working in the vicinity. Motorist should turn on their headlights and slow down for emergency response vehicles. For additional information and photos of the fire, visit https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6030/ . [Image description: Seen through haze caused by smoke, silhouetted ridgelines, buttes and cliffs in a vast canyon landscape.]

A post shared by GrandCanyonNPS (@grandcanyonnps) on Jul 29, 2018 at 11:31am PDT