Wildfire along Grand Canyon's North Rim destroys historic lodge
The fire destroyed the Grand Canyon Lodge, the only lodging inside the park's North Rim, along with cabins, employee housing and a waste water treatment plant, park superintendent Ed Keable said on Sunday.
The remains of a building at the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park (National Park Service via AP)
From the air, plumes of black smoke could be seen rising above the canyon walls.
Firefighters at the North Rim and hikers in the inner canyon were evacuated during the weekend over concerns about the fire and potential exposure to chlorine gas after a treatment plant burned.
Rafters on the Colorado River, which snakes through the Grand Canyon, were told to bypass Phantom Ranch, an outpost of cabins and dormitories at the bottom of the canyon.
Arizona governor Katie Hobbs called for a federal investigation into the National Park Service's decision not to first aggressively attack the fire, which was sparked by lightning July 4.
Authorities first used a 'confine and contain' strategy by clearing fuel sources, but shifted to aggressive suppression a week later as the fire rapidly grew to 7.8 square miles because of hot temperatures, low humidity and strong wind gusts, fire officials said.
'Arizonans deserve answers for how this fire was allowed to decimate the Grand Canyon National Park,' the governor said in a social media post.
No injuries have been reported, but 50 to 80 structures have been lost, the park superintendent said.
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The Guardian
7 hours ago
- The Guardian
Wildfire that destroyed Grand Canyon Lodge still burning
A wildfire along the Grand Canyon's North Rim has burned for more than a week, destroying the historic Grand Canyon Lodge. The Dragon Bravo fire, which destroyed the lodge last weekend, was sparked by lightning on 4 July. It is one of two wildfires in the area. The White Sage fire charred 63 square miles of terrain by Sunday afternoon. Katie Hobbs, Arizona's governor, called for a federal investigation into the park service's handling of the Dragon Bravo fire. In a social media post, the governor said: 'Arizonans deserve answers for how this fire was allowed to decimate the Grand Canyon National Park'
The Guardian
20 hours ago
- The Guardian
Wildfire that destroyed Grand Canyon lodge spread after being left to burn for days
A wildfire raging along the Grand Canyon's North Rim that leveled a historic lodge erupted over the weekend after burning for more than a week, raising scrutiny over the National Park Service's decision not to aggressively attack the fire right away. Katie Hobbs, Arizona's governor, called for a federal investigation into the park service's handling of the fire, which was sparked by lightning on 4 July. 'Arizonans deserve answers for how this fire was allowed to decimate the Grand Canyon National Park,' the governor said in a social media post on Sunday. 'The federal government chose to manage that fire as a controlled burn during the driest, hottest part of the Arizona summer.' Authorities first used a 'confine and contain' strategy by clearing fuel sources, but shifted to aggressive suppression as the fire rapidly grew to nearly 8 square miles (20.7 sq km) because of hot temperatures, low humidity and strong wind gusts, fire officials said. The fire destroyed the Grand Canyon Lodge, the only lodging inside the park's North Rim, along with cabins, employee housing and a waste water treatment plant, the park superintendent, Ed Keable, said on Sunday. Park officials have closed access for the rest of the year to the North Rim, a less popular and more isolated area of the park that draws only about 10% of the Grand Canyon's millions of annual visitors. Hikers in the area were evacuated and rafters on the Colorado River, which snakes through the canyon, were told to bypass Phantom Ranch, an outpost of cabins and dormitories. No injuries have been reported, but 50 to 80 structures have been lost, the park superintendent said. From the air, plumes of black smoke could be seen rising above the canyon walls. The fire flared up on Saturday night, fueled by high winds. Firefighters managed to make progress, using aerial fire retardant drops near the lodge before they had to pull back because of a chlorine gas leak at the water treatment plant, the park service said. Across the west, about three dozen fires are burning uncontained and another 80 fires are being managed to clear out vegetation that has clogged the landscape, according to the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho. So far this year, nearly 2.5m acres have burned. That is slightly below the 10-year average, according to the center. Near the Grand Canyon's North Rim, two wildfires were burning – the Dragon Bravo fire that destroyed the lodge and other buildings and the White Sage fire, which by Sunday afternoon had charred 63 square miles of terrain. Officials reported progress in battling the White Sage fire. Nearly 5 million people visited the Grand Canyon last year, with most sticking to the South Rim. Roads in the North Rim are closed to vehicles in the winter and the lodge opens in May through mid-October. The Grand Canyon Lodge, known for its huge ponderosa beams, massive limestone facade and a bronze statue of a donkey named 'Brighty the Burro', was perched on the edge of the North Rim and offered sweeping views of the canyon. Caren Carney was staying at the lodge last week with her husband, parents and 12-year-old son when a park ranger knocked on their door on Thursday and told them to evacuate. She was heartbroken on Sunday to hear that such a 'magical place' had burned down. After evacuating, the family from Georgia went to the South Rim and could see the blaze from across the canyon. 'I'm so glad we got to have one final look at it in the present before it was lost,' Carney said. The best public interest journalism relies on first-hand accounts from people in the know. If you have something to share on this subject you can contact us confidentially using the following methods. Secure Messaging in the Guardian app The Guardian app has a tool to send tips about stories. Messages are end to end encrypted and concealed within the routine activity that every Guardian mobile app performs. This prevents an observer from knowing that you are communicating with us at all, let alone what is being said. If you don't already have the Guardian app, download it (iOS/Android) and go to the menu. Select 'Secure Messaging'. SecureDrop, instant messengers, email, telephone and post See our guide at for alternative methods and the pros and cons of each. Aramark, the company that operated the lodge, said all employees and guests were safely evacuated. An original lodge burned down from a kitchen fire in 1932, four years after construction was completed, according to the Grand Canyon Historical Society. The redesigned lodge using the original stonework opened in 1937. Elsewhere, a wildfire burning in south-western Colorado closed Black Canyon of the Gunnison national park and forced the evacuation of homes near the park. The fire was started by lightning on Thursday on the south rim of the park, a dramatic, deep gorge carved by the Gunnison River. Jared Polis, Colorado's governor, issued a disaster declaration Sunday because of it and other fires burning in western Colorado.
Reuters
a day ago
- Reuters
Wildfire guts historic Grand Canyon lodge; governor demands probe
July 14 (Reuters) - A wildfire has destroyed a historic lodge and dozens of other structures on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon in Arizona, raising questions over the National Park Service's decision not to aggressively fight the fire straight away. The limestone and timber Grand Canyon Lodge was gutted by flames, along with up to 80 other structures including cabins, park administrative buildings and visitor facilities. The North Rim of the park will remain closed for the rest of the 2025 season and inner canyon trails and campgrounds are closed until further notice, the National Park Service said. The South Rim of the park remains open to visitors. Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs demanded an independent investigation into the federal government's handling of the fire, which was sparked by lightning on July 4. The fire was initially managed with a "confine and contain" strategy, firefighters creating containment lines and preparing to carry out controlled burns to protect the lodge, first opened in 1928, and other buildings, according to the U.S. government InciWeb fire site. Firefighters switched to a "full suppression" strategy after strong northwest wind gusts caused the blaze to grow rapidly on July 11, the site said. In an X post on Sunday, Hobbs said the federal government chose to manage the fire as a "controlled burn during the driest, hottest part of the Arizona summer." "Arizonans deserve answers for how this fire was allowed to decimate the Grand Canyon National Park," Hobbs wrote. The Department of the Interior, which oversees the National Park Service, said federal firefighters made decisions based on real-time data, local conditions and fire science. "The allegation that this fire was managed as a controlled burn is not at all accurate and our wildland fire experts certainly know the difference," Interior Department spokesperson Elizabeth Peace said in a statement. The so-called Dragon Bravo blaze has grown to over 5,700 acres (2,306 hectares) and is 0% contained. It is dwarfed in size by the White Sage Fire around 35 miles (56 km) to the north that has scorched over 49,000 acres (19,829 hectares) and is also 0% contained.
