A wildfire sparked by lightning on July 4 has now spread at the Grand Canyon, consuming both the Natinonal Park Services’ visitors’ hub and the historic Grand Canyon Lodge on the park’s Northern Rim.
National Park Service officials in Arizona opted to observe the Dragon Bravo fire rather than extinguish it after it was discovered last week. They changed their approach on July 11 and 12 when high winds in the region allowed the fire to escape the “containment features” that park officials hoped would keep the blaze at bay.
“The Dragon Bravo Fire on the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park exhibited extreme and volatile fire behavior the evening of July 12, resulting in a 500-acre expansion,” the National Park Service said in a Monday update. “Fire managers have confirmed the loss of the Grand Canyon Lodge and numerous historic cabins in the developed area.”
As of Monday, the fire has grown to 3,471 acres.
Approximately 50 to 80 structures at Grand Canyon National Park have been destroyed, and thousands of visitors and firefighters in the area have been ordered to evacuate.
Along with the White Sage fire, which is also burning in the region, a total of 45,000 acres has been burned as of July 13.
Keypoints
- Tourists mourn historic Grand Canyon lodge burned to the ground by wildfire
- Wildfires force evacuations at Grand Canyon and Black Canyon of the Gunnison parks
WATCH: Dragon Bravo Fire destroys historic North Rim lodge
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Graig Graziosi
North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park to remain closed for duration of 2025 season
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Graig Graziosi
The National Parks Service announced today that the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park will remain closed for the rest of its 2025 operating season.
The Dragon Bravo fire burned the historic Grand Canyon Lodge as well as numerous park buildings and cabins.
Difficult terrain, remote campers make evacuation and fire containment difficult for Arizona fire fighters
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Graig Graziosi
Dolores Garcia, a spokesperson for the Arizona Bureau of Land Management, told FOX 10 Phoenix that the rugged terrain near the Grand Canyon made it difficult for firefighters to get into place to fight the White Sage wildfire.
"Especially in terrain that may be a little bit more rough and a little bit more difficult for firefighters to get into or may take a little bit more time for them to get into," she said.
Garcia also revealed that state officials had to track down campers at remote campsites to ensure they received evacuation notices.
"Early in the phases of the earliest evacuations, we were having to go to campsites and some of the dispersed camping areas to assist with the evacuation and make some of those notifications," she said.
Company operating Grand Canyon Lodge issued statement after wildfire consumes historic building
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Graig Graziosi
The Grand Canyon Lodge was operated by a company called Aramark for the National Parks Service.
The company issued a statement acknowledging the burning of the lodge.
"We are devastated by the loss of the Grand Canyon Lodge and numerous other historic buildings at the Grand Canyon’s North Rim," Debbie Albert, an Aramark spokesperson, said. "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."
WATCH: Dragon Bravo Fire destroys historic North Rim lodge
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Graig Graziosi
‘The stakes are life and death’: The US is not prepared for wildfire season after sweeping DOGE cuts, report says
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Graig Graziosi
As summer temperatures begin to rise and another dangerous wildfire season looms, a new report warns the U.S. is underprepared due to sweeping budget and staffing cuts under the Trump administration.
Federal agencies are grappling with reduced workforces, diminished resources, and weakened emergency infrastructure just as extreme summer heat and drought are taking hold of many states out West. Experts and current firefighters say the situation is dire.
“If this turns out to be a major fire year, it’s going to be a s*** show,” Dr. Hugh Safford, a fire ecologist and former U.S. Forest Service (USFS) official, told The Guardian. Safford spent more than two decades working for the service before retiring in 2021.
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LOOK: National Parks Service shares a map showing the Dragon Bravo fire's expansion
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Graig Graziosi
Governor Katie Hobbs says she's "saddened" by the widfire destruction, calls for federal investigation
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Graig Graziosi
Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs said she was “saddened” by the Dragon Bravo wildfire’s destruction of historic buildings — including the Grand Canyon Lodge — at Grand Canyon National Park.
“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,” she wrote on X. “Thank you to every firefighter and first responder taking action to combat the flames.”
She then called into question the initial response by federal authorities after lightning ignited Dragon Bravo fire on July 4:
“An incident of this magnitude demands intense oversight and scrutiny into the federal government’s emergency response. 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.”
“While the flame was started with a lightning strike, the federal government chose to manage that fire as a controlled burn during the driest, hottest part of the Arizona summer. I am calling on the federal government for a comprehensive and independent investigation into the management of the Fire and a report detailing the decisions that led to this devastating outcome.”
While the flame was started with a lightning strike, the federal government chose to manage that fire as a controlled burn during the driest, hottest part of the Arizona summer.
— Governor Katie Hobbs (@GovernorHobbs) July 14, 2025
I am calling on the federal government for a comprehensive and independent investigation into the…
Senator calls for an investigation into National Parks Service's early fire response
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Graig Graziosi
Senator Ruben Gallego and Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs said they planned to investigate the National Parks Service’s early response to the Drago Bravo fire to determine what impact, if any, it had on the blaze’s eventually spread.
“Because of the Dragon Bravo Fire, Arizona lost more than a historic lodge, it lost a piece of our state history,” Gallego wrote on X. “As Governor Hobbs has rightly called for, there must be a comprehensive, independent investigation into the handling of fire and the rationale for treating it as a controlled burn— especially as Arizona experiences the driest, hardest part of summer. I will do my part on the federal level to get answers.”
Because of the Dragon Bravo Fire, Arizona lost more than a historic lodge, it lost a piece of our state history.
— Senator Ruben Gallego (@SenRubenGallego) July 14, 2025
As Governor Hobbs has rightly called for, there must be a comprehensive, independent investigation into the handling of fire and the rationale for treating it as a…
Closures announced at Grand Canyon National Park
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Graig Graziosi
The Dragon Bravo and White Sage fires have prompted closures across the northern edge of Grand Canyon National Park.
The closures include call of the inner corridor hiking trails, all campgrounds and all other interior areas including the North and South Kaibab Trails, the Phantom Ranch, and Bright Angel Trail below Havasupai Gardens, according to the NPS.
Grand Canyon wildfires in photos
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Graig Graziosi
Wildfires force evacuations at Grand Canyon and Black Canyon of the Gunnison parks
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Graig Graziosi
Visitors and staff at two national parks in the U.S. West have been evacuated because of wildfires.
The Grand Canyon's North Rim in Arizona closed Thursday because of a wildfire on adjacent Bureau of Land Management land near Jacob Lake that began Wednesday evening after a thunderstorm moved through the area.
The Coconino County Sheriff's Office said it helped evacuate people from an area north of Jacob Lake and campers in the Kaibab National Forest nearby. The fire burned about 1.5 square miles (3.9 square kilometers) with zero containment.
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, about 260 miles (418 kilometers) southwest of Denver, also closed Thursday morning after lightning sparked blazes on both rims, the park said.
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Tourists mourn historic Grand Canyon lodge burned to the ground by wildfire
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Graig Graziosi
Visitors of a historic lodge on the Grand Canyon's North Rim have expressed their heartbreak online, after the structure was destroyed by a fast-moving wildfire.
“This is a devastating loss for park employees, all of us who’ve had the pleasure of staying here, and everyone who will never get a chance to see it,” one user wrote, after the National Park announced the news Sunday.
The Grand Canyon Lodge, the only lodging inside the park at the North Rim, was consumed by the flames, according to park Superintendent Ed Keeble. He added that the visitor center, the gas station, a waste water treatment plant, an administrative building and some employee housing also were lost to the flames.
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