A wildfire on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon has expanded by roughly 50%, after being left to burn for a week before full firefighting efforts began.
The Dragon Bravo Fire began on 4 July due to a lightning strike and has now grown to 8,570 acres (3,468 hectares), destroying the historic Grand Canyon Lodge and about 70 other structures, including staff housing and tourist cabins, according to fire officials.
Local media reports indicate that around 280 National Park Service employees have lost their homes in the fire.
The dry conditions, especially low moisture levels in the area’s ponderosa pine and fir forests, created ideal conditions for the blaze according to officials.
"It's just like perfect tinder-dry for a fire", said incident spokesperson Stefan La-Sky.
Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs has called for an independent inquiry into why park officials allowed the fire to continue burning during the driest period of the year.
The National Park Service had initially implemented a "confine and contain" approach to reduce fuel loads and promote ecosystem health. However, after strong northwest winds on 11 July pushed the flames toward critical infrastructure, the strategy shifted to full suppression, according to the InciWeb wildfire database.
This marks the second time in two decades that a managed fire on the North Rim has spiralled out of control. In 2006, the Warm Fire also started by lightning was permitted to burn for weeks before winds caused it to surge, forcing evacuations of people from the area and ultimately burning 59,000 acres.
The North Rim will now remain closed for the rest of the 2025 season, with inner canyon trails and campgrounds also shut indefinitely.
However, the South Rim, which receives about five million visitors each year, remains open to the public.
Canada is facing its second-worst wildfire season on record, with 7.8 million hectares already burned, and the fires could persist for weeks, accordin...
A research team led by Tsinghua University has unveiled a groundbreaking method for making organs transparent, offering the most detailed view yet of ...
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi arrived in New Delhi today for a closely watched round of bilateral discussions with senior Indian leaders, including...
In Bolivia's first-round presidential election, voters decisively rejected the leftist party that has ruled the country for most of the past two decad...
Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar began discussions with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in New Delhi on Monday, emphasizing that positi...
Canada is facing its second-worst wildfire season on record, with 7.8 million hectares already burned, and the fires could persist for weeks, according to federal officials.
A research team led by Tsinghua University has unveiled a groundbreaking method for making organs transparent, offering the most detailed view yet of the brain’s inner workings.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi arrived in New Delhi today for a closely watched round of bilateral discussions with senior Indian leaders, including External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval.
In Bolivia's first-round presidential election, voters decisively rejected the leftist party that has ruled the country for most of the past two decades, signaling a shift toward more market-friendly policies to address the nation's economic struggles.
A powerful eruption at Japan’s Shinmoedake volcano sent an ash plume more than 3,000 metres high on Sunday morning, prompting safety warnings from authorities.
According to the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), a magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck the Oaxaca region of Mexico on Saturday.
A magnitude 5.2 earthquake struck 56 kilometres east of Gorgan in northern Iran early Sunday morning, according to preliminary seismic data.
'Superman' continued to dominate the summer box office, pulling in another $57.25 million in its second weekend, as theatres welcome a wave of blockbuster competition following a challenging few years for the film industry.
Honduras has brought back mask mandates as COVID-19 cases and a new variant surge nationwide.
The hurricane was located about 170 km north of Anguilla, with maximum sustained winds near 255 km/h, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).
Talks at the United Nations in Geneva to establish a global legally binding treaty on plastic pollution went into overtime on Thursday, with discussions adjourned to Friday.
SOCAR Türkiye, a subsidiary of the State Oil Company of the Azerbaijani Republic, has announced about a cooperation with Turkish Airlines in the field of sustainable aviation fuel. The move is aimed at complying with Türkiye's goal of reducing aviation emissions by 5% by 2030.
Spain is calling on European partners for assistance as wildfires rage across the country during one of its longest and hottest heatwaves on record.
Juneau, Alaska, is on high alert as floodwaters from the Mendenhall Glacier threaten to reach record levels, forcing residents in vulnerable areas to evacuate immediately.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment