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.
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