Thick smoke shrouded Arizona highways and many car accidents occurred

Thick smoke shrouded Arizona highways and many car accidents occurred. Last Wednesday, a main highway in northern Arizona near the Grand Canyon was shrouded in thick smoke, causing...

Last Wednesday, a main highway in northern Arizona near the Grand Canyon was shrouded in thick smoke, reducing the visibility of drivers to about 20 feet, resulting in many traffic accidents on the highway.

Dry brush and trees were set on fire Tuesday in the Kaibab National Forest near the city of Flagstaff, the Associated Press reported. Authorities know that over the course of a night, smoke can drift toward Interstate 40 as winds shift. Federal Forest Service spokesman Brady Smith said the agency was surprised that the smoke from the forest fires did not dissipate as expected.

Thick smoke accumulated on the highway for about 5 hours, causing many crashes on the highway and causing minor injuries to many drivers and passengers. As a result, Highway 40 was closed for several hours to prevent further crashes.

Arizona Department of Public Safety spokesman Bart Graves said a fatal crash occurred before dawn when a car was wedged between two trailers. Police could not immediately determine whether poor visibility was the cause of the crash.

The fire that ignited the bush was set by the Forestry Department. Controlled fires like that are common in Arizona as forest managers hope to reduce the density of shrubs and trees and prevent serious wildfires in the summer.

Smoke from man-made fires is often an undesirable sight for residents and tourists, who often flock to Flagstaff at this time of year to watch the fall leaves, but the haze hanging above is often a turn-off.

Grand Canyon officials warned this week that controlled fires on the north rim of the Grand Canyon could produce smoke throughout the canyon. Earlier this month, artificial fires in Prescott also caused local residents to complain because the thick smoke caused poor air quality.

(Editor: Zhang Xiao)