Wildfire destroys historic Grand Canyon Lodge and closes North Rim

A historic lodge in Grand Canyon National Park was one of dozens of structures destroyed by a wildfire in northern Arizona that has prompted evacuations and forced the closure of the North Rim to visitors for the remainder of the 2025 season, authorities said Sunday.

The Grand Canyon Lodge — the only lodging inside the park at the North Rim — was consumed by the Dragon Bravo Fire, a blaze sparked earlier this month that had engulfed 5,000 acres and destroyed at least 50 structures as of Sunday. It was burning about 35 miles south from the bigger White Sage Fire, which was “experiencing rapid growth” to the north and east after erupting last week near the Utah border.

The White Sage Fire had burned more than 40,000 acres by Sunday, doubling in size from the previous day. Firefighting efforts had so far failed to achieve containment for both fires, according to federal officials.

“As stewards of some of our country’s most beloved national treasures, we are devastated by the loss of the Grand Canyon Lodge,” Aramark, the lodge’s operator, said in a statement. “We are grateful that all our employees and guests have been safely evacuated.”

Perched 8,000 feet above sea level, the Grand Canyon Lodge housed dining facilities, a gift store and a post office, and offered visitors a stunning view of the canyon. The original building burned down in 1932, fours years after its construction was complete, and a new lodge that had come to be known to visitors today was built in its footprint, according to the Grand Canyon Historical Society. It reopened in 1937, and the new building reused much of the original stonework.

Firefighters and emergency vehicles confront intense flames and thick smoke from the Dragon Bravo Fire on Thursday.

The resulting destruction from the Dragon Bravo Fire prompted Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) to call for an independent investigation into the federal government’s emergency response, and she questioned why federal officials had chosen to treat the blaze as a “controlled burn during the driest, hottest part of the Arizona summer,” instead of taking aggressive action to end it.

“I am incredibly saddened by the destruction of the historic Grand Canyon Lodge, and my heart goes out to every person impacted by the Dragon Bravo Fire near the Grand Canyon’s North Rim,” Hobbs said in a statement on X. “An incident of this magnitude demands intense oversight and scrutiny.”

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management could not immediately be reached for comment.

The Dragon Bravo Fire at Grand Canyon National Park on Sunday.

Prevailing winds have normally driven fires in a direction that have bypassed the North Rim’s developed area, where the Grand Canyon Lodge was, according to Stephen Pyne, an emeritus professor at Arizona State University who has spent 15 years as a firefighter in the North Rim area.

As of Sunday, authorities in Arizona’s Coconino County had issued evacuation notices for areas north and south of the unincorporated township of Jacob Lake and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon National Park, according to the Bureau of Land Management.

National Park Service officials also warned that the Dragon Bravo Fire had impacted a water treatment facility in the North Rim area on Saturday afternoon, causing a chlorine gas leak. Chlorine gas is heavier than air and can quickly settle into lower elevations such as the inner canyon, the Park Service said. Chlorine gas hurts the respiratory tract and can be fatal.

It added that the North Kaibab Trail, the Phantom Ranch area and the South Kaibab Trail would remain closed until an assessment was completed.

Grand Canyon National Park attracts millions of people annually and received 4.9 million visitors last year, according to the National Park Service. It said the South Rim remains open and operational.