A wildfire has devastated the Grand Canyon's North Rim. What to know

Smoke from the Dragon Bravo Fire can be seen from the Mather Point Overlook on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon on July 13, 2025.

The National Park Service initially decided to manage the Dragon Bravo Fire on the Grand Canyon's North Rim as a controlled burn, ultimately leading to the destruction of the area's hub for visitors, including the historic Grand Canyon Lodge.

Park officials opted to monitor the fire rather than actively extinguish it after it sparked on July 4 from a lightning strike. They changed course after high winds on July 11 allowed the fire to jump multiple "containment features."

Park officials announced on July 14 that the North Rim would remain closed for the rest of the 2025 season.

Gov. Katie Hobbs and Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., have since called for an investigation into the agency's early response to the wildfire.

The fire's rapid growth prompted mandatory evacuations for North Rim residents and visitors. By July 13, an estimated 70 structures were gone, park officials said.

Rachel Pawlitz, a National Park Service spokesperson, defended the fire management strategy in a statement to The Arizona Republic on July 14.

“The National Park Service and our interagency partners actively fought the Dragon Bravo fire employing tactics that met the suppression objectives and mitigated risk," Pawlitz said. "Firefighters had constructed containment lines and were prepared to conduct a defensive firing operation before conditions rapidly changed." 

Pawlitz said the agency's response to the fire prioritized saving human lives and mitigating risk to firefighter safety.

"We've lost buildings, but hundreds of lives were saved due to the fact this fire was expertly handled. The park was quickly and effectively evacuated before any impacts," Pawlitz said. "The firefighters did not put themselves or others at risk when they managed the initial response to this fire. The winds shifted unexpectedly during the firefight, pushing historic wind gusts that caused the fire to jump multiple containment features and move toward facilities instead."

No one died, and buildings can be rebuilt, Pawlick said.

"The safety of the public and firefighters come first," Pawlick said. "We may be saddened by the loss of buildings, but those can be re-built. Firefighters are continuing to respond to this fire in the safest way possible putting their lives and the lives of the community, park visitors, and park employees ahead of buildings."

Here's what to know about the devastating wildfire.

Why did park officials allow the Dragon Bravo Fire to continue burning?

Fire crews implemented a “confine/contain” strategy, allowing the fire to burn while also limiting its spread when necessary, according to the Grand Canyon National Park’s Facebook page.

Officials reasoned that allowing the fire to burn would reduce the accumulation of organic fire fuels and allow nutrient-rich ash to support new plant growth.

Developments in fire science have led to firefighting tactics where firefighters sometimes allow a wildfire to burn in a controlled way rather than allowing fuels to accumulate, which can create even riskier wildfire scenarios.

On July 14, the fire reached 5,716 acres and was still 0% contained, according to InciWeb. Park officials said 295 fire personnel were assigned to the fire.

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How did the fire grow out of control?

By July 10, the Dragon Bravo Fire had grown to about 120 acres. Fire crews lost control of the fire the next day after strong northwest wind gusts, uncommon to the area, allowed it to jump multiple “containment features," according to fire officials. By 8:45 p.m. on July 11, the fire was 1,500 acres.

The fire grew more on July 12, when it “exhibited extreme and volatile fire behavior," with winds between 20 and 40 mph continuing to fuel the fire.

On July 12, fire damage to a water treatment facility caused the release of chlorine gas. Fire personnel evacuated the area due to the gas, which also prevented the deployment of aerial retardant.

Curt Stanley, an air traffic controller fighting the fire, said that two helicopters were initially able to fight the fire near the chlorine leak but eventually had to withdraw due to safety concerns for pilots who could breathe toxic fumes.

On July 13, a hazmat response was underway to mitigate the impacts of the chlorine leak.

Why are Hobbs, Gallego calling for an independent investigation?

While Hobbs thanked firefighters and first responders for their efforts to contain the blaze, she questioned the National Park Service's decision to allow the Dragon Bravo Fire to continue as a controlled burn "during the driest and hottest part of the Arizona summer."

“An incident of this magnitude demands intense oversight and scrutiny into the federal government’s emergency response," Hobbs said in a July 13 statement. "They must first take aggressive action to end the wildfire and prevent further damage. But Arizonans deserve answers for how this fire was allowed to decimate the Grand Canyon National Park."

Hobbs called for an independent investigation into the fire's management and a report on the decisions that were made that led to the Grand Canyon Lodge and other structures burning.

Gallego said Hobbs was right to call for an investigation. "I will do my part on the federal level to get answers," he said.

What's been lost to the Dragon Bravo Fire?

As of July 14, the Dragon Bravo Fire destroyed an estimated 70 structures, including the Grand Canyon Lodge, along with National Park Service administrative buildings, visitor facilities and historic cabins, according to Stefan La-Sky, public information officer for Southwest Area Complex Incident Management Team.

La-Sky said the Grand Canyon Lodge burned overnight on July 12.

Aramark operated the Grand Canyon Lodge for the National Park Service.

"We are devastated by the loss of the Grand Canyon Lodge and numerous other historic buildings at the Grand Canyon’s North Rim," said Debbie Albert, an Aramark spokesperson. "We are grateful that all of our employees and guests have been safely evacuated, and we join the National Park Service in mourning the loss of these iconic and beloved structures."

No human deaths or injuries were reported, and all staff and North Rim residents were evacuated before the wildfire’s rapid escalation, according to the park officials.

What parts of the Grand Canyon are closed?

The entire North Rim of the Grand Canyon remained closed as of July 13, along with all inner Canyon corridor trails, campgrounds and associated areas until further notice. Closed trails include North Kaibab Trail, South Kaibab Trail, Phantom Ranch and Bright Angel Trail below Havasupai Gardens.

What other wildfires are burning in the area?

The White Sage Fire, roughly 30 miles north of the Dragon Bravo Fire, has burned 49,286 acres after it was ignited due to a lightning strike, according to InciWeb, a federal government wildfire tracker.

Smoke was first reported on the evening of July 9, after a thunderstorm. It burned through grass, shrubs, and native pinyon-juniper trees, according to the Bureau of Land Management.

A vast area, the Kaibab Plateau from the Utah-Arizona line down to the Grand Canyon, had been put under evacuation orders. Fire crews urged the public to avoid the area. Highway 89A was closed at Fredonia and Bitter Springs.

On the evening of July 13, the fire crossed over Highway 89A and headed southeast.

"Extreme fire behavior" was seen on July 13, according to an official on InciWeb. Air tankers dropped nearly 180,000 gallons of fire retardant on July 13 alone.

Strong northerly winds pushed the fire further south, with fire embers spreading through the wilderness, aggravated by dry, hot weather with low humidity. There was a slight chance of storms, according to InciWeb.

Crews worked overnight to try to establish a containment line, according to InciWeb.

'Just short on resources': Air traffic controller details North Rim fire fight

Curt Stanley fought the Dragon Bravo Fire as an air traffic controller called in to be part of an aircraft crew for a plane through the Bureau of Indian Affairs. A resident of Weiser, Idaho, Stanley was in Show Low along with his plane, which was being swapped out for another in Mesa, he said in a phone interview July 13.

"The lodge and all the historic cabins, and employee housing, all that was our number one area for protection," Stanley said.

Battling the fire overnight before it burned the Lodge in the early morning hours of July 13, Stanley said there were not enough crews or resources to fight the fire effectively.

He described an image of the destroyed Grand Canyon Lodge that was seen by infrared cameras mapping the fire overnight.

"I can't see it with the naked eye from the air, so I have a screen up in front of me that I can see what my camera operator is looking at," Stanley said. "There were multiple buildings destroyed," he added.

Stanley said he would continue suppression efforts on the fire on July 14, working as part of a three-man aerial attack crew, flying other federally managed aircraft.

Reach the reporter Perry Vandell at [email protected] or 602-444-2474. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @PerryVandell.

(This story has been updated to add more information.)