FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — A major flash flood at the Grand Canyon forced the evacuation of dozens of people and swept large boulders, metal structures and other debris into the Colorado River that runs through it, the National Park Service said.
The flooding in Bright Angel Creek, which flows into the river, happened Saturday afternoon and has left the park service seeking information about 15 people who may be missing or unaccounted for. Torrents of water wiped out footbridges over the creek and significantly altered the landscape, widening the creek bed and creating what appeared to be a new river rapid.
As the park service tries to account for everyone in the area, it is asking asked anyone with details about people hiking or camping there to get in touch. It said it was working with the Arizona Department of Public Safety to continue evacuations Sunday.
“This is a reminder of what a dynamic and active landscape Grand Canyon is,” said Jack Schmidt, director of the Center for Colorado River Studies at Utah State University.
Popular tourist spots including the Bright Angel Campground, Phantom Ranch and parts of the North Kaibab trail remained closed on Sunday while park officials surveyed the damage, the park said. Rafting trips on the Colorado River also have been halted for now.
More than 60 people were evacuated from Phantom Ranch, which has a historic canteen and dorms, and is a common spot for rafters to get off and on the river. No injuries have been reported.
Erica Viola said she was at Bright Angel Campground when the rain started Saturday afternoon, and she and about 50 other hikers watched the creek rise and then debris start to flow by, including what looked like a bunkhouse. The group was taken by helicopter to safety, ending her adventure two days early, she said.
Parth Desai was hiking through a narrow passage in Bright Angel Canyon with a group of fellow physicians and a park ranger when the downpour started.
“We saw the creek flood, waterfalls coming up out of nowhere, boulders, mud, landslides happening everywhere,” he said.
Later, as they made their way toward Phantom Ranch, a colleague shouted “Up, Up, Up, Up!” as a 4-foot (1-meter) debris wall headed toward them and they ran up into a patch of cacti, he said. They were finally rescued by helicopter that evening after making it to the Phantom Ranch area, he said.
About half an inch to 1 inch (1 centimeter to 2.5 centimeters) of rain fell within about 30 minutes in the rocky area where there’s a steep drop in elevation, said National Weather Service meteorologist Justin Johndrow in Flagstaff.
“Most of it ran off instantly,” Johndrow said.
He said the flooding happened on the north side of the Grand Canyon, where Bright Angel Creek comes from the North Rim down to the Colorado River, dropping around 6,000 feet (1,828 meters).
More rain and thunderstorms were possible for the area into Monday.
Stengle reported from Dallas. Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, South Carolina, and in Holly Ramer in Concord, New Hampshire, also contributed.
Bright Angel Creek near the Phantom Ranger Station in the Grand Canyon, Arizona, is seen after flash flooding from storms, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026. (Parth Desai via AP)
Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs has been placed on the NFL commissioner's exempt list while two misdemeanor charges against him are pending, a move that prevents him from practicing or attending games.
Players continue to get paid while on the commissioner's exempt list. Upon request and with the club’s permission, Jacobs may be present at the club’s facility on a reasonable basis for meetings, individual workouts, therapy and rehabilitation and other permitted non-football activities.
NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy confirmed Sunday that Jacobs had been placed on the list, a move that comes three days after the charges were filed against him. ESPN first reported the development.
Jacobs' absence will impact the Packers at a position in which they already lacked depth. The Packers tried to address their running back shortage Sunday by acquiring 2025 third-round pick Kaleb Johnson from the Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange for a 2028 sixth-round selection.
The Packers open their season Sept. 13 at Minnesota.
Brown County (Wisconsin) District Attorney David Lasee announced Thursday that Jacobs had been charged with battery and criminal damage to property. The charges arose from what police described as a physical confrontation between Jacobs and his girlfriend.
Jacobs was arrested on May 26, three days after police were called to his home to investigate a disturbance. He was released from jail the next day.
Jacobs’ lawyers — David Z. Chesnoff, Richard A. Schonfeld, and Clarence F. Duchac III — issued a statement in response to the NFL's decision. They noted this move is “an administrative procedure used by the NFL while a matter is being reviewed."
“It is not a final determination,” they said. “Josh respects the NFL process, the Packers, and his Coaches and Teammates. He looks forward to his return to the team and the NFL.”
Hobart-Lawrence police officers who responded to the May call said Jacobs’ girlfriend told them she had a lump on her head as a result of Jacobs’ actions.
Police said the woman said she had been looking through Jacobs’ phone and saw he was talking to other women, and that she threw the phone in anger without breaking it. She told police that Jacobs had her phone and she told him he could look through it.
According to police, the woman indicated she tried to retrieve her phone from Jacobs, but he didn’t return it and instead grabbed her arm and began a struggle that lasted several minutes. They then left the home in separate vehicles before eventually returning.
Police said the woman was trying to exit a garage door to get outside when Jacobs grabbed her and threw her to the ground, causing her to hit her head. Police said Jacobs also took the phone from her while she was on the ground.
According to the criminal complaint filed last week, surveillance footage from the camera system in the garage corroborated the woman’s statement.
Jacobs rushed for 929 yards and 13 touchdowns last season. That followed a 2024 season in which Jacobs ran for 1,329 yards and 15 touchdowns while earning his third Pro Bowl selection.
The 28-year-old has rushed for 7,803 yards and 74 touchdowns in his seven-year career, which included five seasons with the Raiders. He earned All-Pro honors and had an NFL-leading 1,653 yards rushing with Las Vegas in 2022.
Jacobs was back on the field with the Packers for organized team activities less than a week after the arrest and has been with the team for training camp, though he’s been limited by a groin injury.
With Jacobs on the commissioner's exempt list, the only running backs on Green Bay's 53-man roster are MarShawn Lloyd, Chris Brooks and the newly acquired Johnson. The Packers cut Pierre Strong Jr., Damien Martinez and Jaden Nixon on Sunday.
Lloyd is a 2024 third-round pick who has played only one game over the last two seasons due to a variety of injuries, though he has stayed healthy throughout this preseason. Brooks ran for 106 yards on 27 carries last season while contributing primarily on special teams.
Johnson rushed for 69 yards on 28 carries while playing 10 games his rookie season with the Steelers.
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Green Bay Packers' Josh Jacobs talks to Marshawn Lloyd before a preseason NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals Friday, Aug. 28, 2026, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
