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Deaths of Three Hikers Spark Warning at Grand Canyon

Authorities have issued warnings after multiple heat-related deaths this month.

The National Weather Service has issued an extreme heat watch for the Grand Canyon after an increase in heat-related incidents in the inner canyon. The NWS has warned that temperatures could reach or exceed 110 degrees at midday on Monday through Tuesday at Phantom Ranch, and stresses that visitors are “strongly advised” to avoid hiking in the middle of the day. An extreme heat watch was in effect on June 16 when two hikers, aged 67 and 68, were found dead on the North Kaibab Trail, described by the National Park Service as the most difficult inner canyon trail. The NPS said that they appeared to have succumbed to heat-related illness. A third person, aged 72, died on June 12 on the South Kaibab Trail, also as a result of heat-related illness. 90 miles south, residents and visitors were evacuated at Oak Creek Canyon on Friday in response to a wildfire that burned hundreds of acres near Sedona. The alert from the NWS notes that the chance of showers and thunderstorms in the region is expected to increase by the middle of the week.