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White Sage Fire evacuation area expands after rapid overnight growth

The lightning-caused White Sage Fire was last reported at 1,000 acres burning about 15 miles south of Fredonia.
Courtesy of Bureau of Land Management - Arizona Strip District Office
The lightning-caused White Sage Fire was last reported at 1,000 acres burning about 15 miles south of Fredonia.

The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office has expanded an evacuation order across a large swath of the Arizona Strip and North Rim of the Grand Canyon.

The order came as the White Sage Fire grew rapidly overnight from an estimated 1,000 acres on Thursday to more than 8,640 acres, according to Coconino County Emergency Management.

The evacuation area now spans close to 980 square miles from the Utah border in the north to the North Rim to the south, the House Rock Valley to the east, and the Kaibab National Forest boundary to the west.

A screenshot of Coconino County Emergency Management's evacuation map for the White Sage Fire.
KNAU
A screenshot of Coconino County Emergency Management's evacuation map for the White Sage Fire.

Acting director for Coconino County Emergency Management Tim Carter says the large evacuation area comes from an abundance of caution.

The area is largely federal land and is often used by campers who may be difficult to contact should they issue additional evacuation orders.

Carter says the Coconino County Sheriff's Deputies are on site and working with Bureau of Land Management fire managers to determine areas.

It is unclear how many people have been evacuated.

An evacuation center has not been set up, but Carter says they have plans in place if the need arises.

The North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park, the nearby community of Jacob Lake and the surrounding areas of the forest were evacuated Thursday evening.

A Complex Incident Management Team will take management of the fire on Saturday, supported by additional fire crews and aircraft.

The lightning-caused fire was first reported on Wednesday, approximately 15 miles south of Fredonia, with 0% containment as of Friday.

A Bureau of Land Management spokesperson says the significant growth of the fire was driven by sustained winds of 15 to 20 miles per hour, extremely dry conditions, low relative humidity and low fuel moistures.

High winds also threw embers starting spot fires ahead of the main blaze.

All those conditions meant fire crews were forced to pull back for their own safety.

National park officials say this fire is unrelated to the Dragon Bravo Fire, a lightning-caused blaze that is being managed for forest health within the park.

This is a developing story and will be updated as new information becomes available.