Strong winds and hot, dry weather continue to fuel two separate wildfires near the northwestern side of the Grand Canyon Saturday, closing the canyon’s North Rim and forcing evacuations throughout the area.

A fire near the Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona has grown more than 20 times in size in 24 hours as an intensifying wildfire season sees the return of Canadian wildfire smoke into the U.S.

Hundreds of visitors and residents were evacuated from the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park this week as two wildfires advanced toward the park.

A wildfire burning in Grand Canyon National Park triggered a chlorine gas leak Friday afternoon after flames reached a water treatment facility.

Visitors and staff at two national parks in the U.S. West have been evacuted because of wildfires. Officials at Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park in Colorado say the park closed Thursday morning after lightning sparked blazes on both rims.

A hiker has died on the South Kaibab Trail in the Grand Canyon National Park while attempting to reach the Colorado River.

The NPS recommends avoiding hiking the Grand Canyon's inner trails between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., when temperatures are at their peak. Temperatures in the inner canyon can reach over 120 degrees Fahrenheit in the shade, creating "extremely hazardous conditions for hikers," the NPS said.

Fast-spreading wildfires have forced the evacuation of part of the Grand Canyon, with the US National Park Service ordering visitors and residents away from its northern rim.