GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. (AP) -- Park entrances and popular lookout spots at the Grand Canyon were closed for several hours after a prescribed burn designed to reduce fire danger jumped a containment line.
No structures were threatened by the fire, which jumped lines early Wednesday. Entrances, roads and visitor centers were reopened by day's end.
The fire had scorched 285 acres outside of the prescribed 1,665-acre burn area, said Linda Rowell, a spokeswoman for the crew fighting the fire.
``Considering the conditions and how things were,'' she said, ``it could have been so ugly.''
Personnel was cut back for the overnight watch, Rowell said. No official containment estimates had been made.
The fire caused the most concern when it spread to within a half-mile of park employee housing, said national park spokeswoman Leah McGinnis.
Access to the canyon's South Rim, the most frequently visited section of the park, was cut off for several hours to everyone except park employees, although visitors already in the park were allowed to stay. Both the south and east entrances were reopened by late Wednesday afternoon.
The popular Mather Point lookout and a canyon visitor information center were closed Wednesday but later reopened. The fire came within a half-mile from Mather Point.
Canyon officials had intended to burn an area a mile south of the rim's Grand Canyon Village, which includes campgrounds, lodges, restaurants and other facilities.
