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.
China has completed the first phase of its 6G technology trials, a key step in its bid to lead the global push toward next-generation telecommunicatio...
Iran has strongly rejected as “unfounded and irresponsible” a joint statement by the foreign ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) about Tehran’s...
Pakistan has accused Afghan nationals of carrying out two suicide attacks this week in Islamabad and South Waziristan, warning that Kabul must rein in...
Chileans will vote on Sunday in the country's first mandatory presidential election since 2012, with security and immigration shaping a race expected ...
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev have spoken by phone after debris from a Russian missile strike damaged...
China has completed the first phase of its 6G technology trials, a key step in its bid to lead the global push toward next-generation telecommunications networks.
Iran has strongly rejected as “unfounded and irresponsible” a joint statement by the foreign ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) about Tehran’s nuclear program and its alleged support of Russia in the war with Ukraine.
Pakistan has accused Afghan nationals of carrying out two suicide attacks this week in Islamabad and South Waziristan, warning that Kabul must rein in militants even as a ceasefire between the neighbours holds but remains fragile.
A Ukrainian drone attack early on Friday damaged a docked ship, apartment buildings and an oil depot in the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, a key outlet for Russian oil exports, injuring three of the vessel's crew members, Russian officials said.
MrBeast, the world’s most popular YouTuber, has officially launched his first theme park, Beast Land, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has urged the U.S. to avoid actions that could intensify the war in Ukraine, citing President Donald Trump’s past support for dialogue.
Audi has unveiled the car that marks its first major step into Formula One. It presented the 2026 challenger at a launch event in Munich attended by drivers, team leaders and senior company executives.
A Türkiye-registered Air Tractor AT-802F crashed in western Croatia on Thursday, killing the pilot, local authorities and media reported.
U.S. envoy Jared Kushner met Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday as attention shifts to the tougher second phase of the Gaza ceasefire plan, with a standoff over roughly 200 Hamas fighters trapped in Rafah tunnels emerging as the immediate test.
Australia’s ambition to host the COP31 climate summit is under serious threat as a fierce competition with Türkiye heats up.
Indigenous protesters defended charging the gates of Brazil's COP30 climate summit on Wednesday and clashing with security a day earlier, saying the action was aimed at demonstrating the desperation of their fight for forest protection.
China’s carbon dioxide emissions have remained flat and slightly declined over the past 18 months, according to new analysis for climate publication Carbon Brief, marking what could be a historic shift in the world’s largest emitter’s energy and economic trajectory.
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Representative in Afghanistan, Dr Tajudeen Oyewale, expressed concern over Afghanistan's absence from the COP30 summit in Brazil, despite being one of the world’s lowest carbon emitters.
In southern Lebanon’s Bkassine forest, once famous for its pine nuts, a silent crisis is stripping trees bare and leaving workers without livelihoods.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment