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Campground at Dinosaur National Monument evacuated due to wildfire

Posted at 6:51 AM, Sep 02, 2016
and last updated 2016-09-02 08:51:29-04

Green Fire | Courtesy: National Park Service

Green Fire | Courtesy: National Park Service

DINOSAUR NATIONAL MONUMENT, Utah — The Green River Campground at Dinosaur National Monument was evacuated Thursday afternoon due to a wildfire.

According to a news release from the National Park Service, the “Green Fire” burned quickly through about 40 acres of grass and sagebrush in an area southwest of the campground, on the Utah side of the monument.

The campground will remain closed through the night as crews from the National Park Service, the Bureau of Land Management and the Jensen Fire Department work to extinguish the blaze. The fire crews are also receiving aerial support from a helicopter crew based in Rifle, Colorado.

“The road through the monument is currently closed at the turn off for the Split Mountain Campground and the Cub Creek Road on the east side of the Green River Bridge. Local traffic only will be allowed through, but all other traffic is prohibited due to fire personnel on the road,” the news release said.

Crews expect to have the fire contained Thursday night, and they’ll continue to extinguish hot spots through Friday. Green River Campground is expected to reopen Friday afternoon.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.