An official says a historic Grand Canyon lodge has been destroyed by wildfire
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Millions of people visit Grand Canyon National Park annually, with most going to the more popular South Rim. The North Rim is open seasonally. It was evacuated last Thursday because of wildfire.
The burning of the waste water treatment plant resulted in the release of chlorine gas that prompted the evacuation of firefighters and hikers from the inner canyon, park officials said Sunday. Chlorine gas is heavier than air and can quickly settle into lower elevations such as the inner canyon, posing a health risk.
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Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Yahoo
Highway and inn reopen as fire near Grand Canyon further controlled
One long-burning wildfire north of the Grand Canyon was substantially contained as of July 26, with a major highway reopening and an inn that had been evacuated once again welcoming guests. But an even older fire closer to the canyon's edge, which already destroyed historic structures in the developed North Rim area of Grand Canyon National Park, was threatening another tourist spot. Together, the pair of lightning-caused fires has scorched over 94,000 acres. The White Sage Fire, which started July 9, has spread across 58,985 acres of the northern Kaibab National Forest and was 81% contained, according to the Great Basin Complex Incident Management Team 6. The east-west highway of U.S. Route 89A from Bitter Springs to Fredonia had reopened to the public, but officials warned that smoke would still be visible from the freeway. Nearby State Route 67, which runs north-south from Jacob Lake to the developed area of the North Rim, remained closed, according to the Great Basin team. On all but the difficult-to-access east side of the fire, crews have already planted seeds to restore the environment and repaired fences, according to the Great Basin team. The Great Basin team planned to hand the fire over to the smaller Color Country Team 2, further signifying the fire was on a path toward total containment. Crews projected July 30 as the earliest possible date for the fire's total containment, according to InciWeb, a federal wildfire tracking system. The nearby Jacob Lake Inn, which had temporarily closed due to the fire, reopened as of July 24, according to a Facebook post. About 30 miles to the south, the Dragon Bravo Fire, which started July 4 and destroyed much of the North Rim tourist hub inside Grand Canyon National Park, had grown to 35,456 acres and was 26% contained, according to the Southwest Area Complex Incident Management Team 4. Crews saw gusty winds increase fire activity on July 25, which spread the fire to the north and intensified the existing blaze on the west side, according to the Southwest team. The team said "record dry conditions" meant firefighters would need to reinforce perimeter lines and prepare for potential structure protection near the Kaibab Lodge, a complex of tourist cabins about 5 miles north of the entrance to Grand Canyon National Park off SR 67. Aircraft were ready for an increase in fire activity, especially on the canyon edges, where the fire could spread into grass and sagebrush at lower elevations, according to the management team. The Kaibab Lodge took to Facebook around 4 p.m. to share a photo of dense smoke not far from the property. "The Dragon Bravo Fire is rapidly approaching Kaibab Lodge," the post said. "Please keep the firefighters, lodge staff, and the surrounding community in your thoughts." Over 1,300 firefighters remained on the scene of the two fires, officials said. Rey Covarrubias Jr. reports breaking news for The Arizona Republic and Email him at: rcovarrubias@ and connect with him on Instagram, Threads, Bluesky and X (formerly Twitter) at @ReyCJrAZ. (This article was updated to add new information.) This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Highway and inn reopen as fire near Grand Canyon controlled Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Wildfires in northern Arizona burn over 103,000 acres; Kaibab Lodge still safe
As one of the two major wildfires burning in northern Arizona inched closer to total containment, the other burning on the Grand Canyon's North Rim grew by over 9,000 acres in one day, according to fire command officials. The Dragon Bravo and White Sage fires continued to engulf northern Arizona, burning more than 100,000 acres combined since starting earlier in the month, as of July 27. The small Oak Point Fire that started south of the White Sage Fire burn area was 100% contained at 85 acres, according to federal wildfire tracker InciWeb. Here's everything to know about the wildfires that were still burning. Dragon Bravo Fire continues to grow After lightning caused the fire on July 4, the Dragon Bravo Fire grew to 44,429 acres by July 27, a jump of 8,960 acres from the day before, according to the Southwest Area Complex Incident Management Team 4. The fire was 26% contained with 1,048 people assigned to fight the fire, according to the southwest team. "Today's operation will focus on protecting values at risk and assessment of new contingency lines and preparing for changes in fire behavior," the southwest team wrote in an update on InciWeb. The fire's northeastern section remained the most active, while also burning into previous fire scars in the area. The Grand Canyon Lodge was destroyed in the fire on July 12. The blaze was also putting other nearby historic structures at risk, including the Kaibab Lodge, located on the north side of the fire along the closed State Route 67. Crews were actively staged in and around the lodge, providing critical structure protection, according to Larry Innes, owner of the lodge. Crews had already prepared other structures in the House Rock area, the southwest team said. Much of the growth of the Dragon Bravo Fire was attributed to the third consecutive day of dry, windy weather that aggravated the fire, according to the team. White Sage Fire inches toward containment Further north in the Kaibab National Forest, the White Sage Fire continued to show positive signs of containment, the Color Country Team 2 said. The team assumed command of firefighting efforts on July 26, according to InciWeb. The fire had spread to 59,065 acres and was 83% contained. The size of the crews fighting the fire was cut in half from the day before, down to 135 personnel, according to the team. The fire started July 9 and was estimated to be contained by July 30, according to InciWeb. Active suppression efforts remained ongoing. State Route 89A had reopened, but SR 67 remained closed, according to InciWeb. The Arizona Bureau of Land Management recalled a closure near Vermilion Cliffs National Monument due to decreased fire activity, the team said. Rey Covarrubias Jr. reports breaking news for The Arizona Republic and Email him at: rcovarrubias@ and connect with him on Instagram, Threads, Bluesky and X (formerly Twitter) at @ReyCJrAZ. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Latest on Dragon Bravo and White Sage fires in northern Arizona
Axios
16-07-2025
- Axios
Photos: Destructive wildfire threatens Grand Canyon's North Rim
Firefighters in Arizona were tackling two out-of-control wildfires in extreme heat on Tuesday — including one at the Grand Canyon National Park's North Rim that's forced evacuations, road closures and razed a historic lodge and other structures. The big picture: The Dragon Bravo Fire that destroyed the Grand Canyon Lodge and prompted parts of the park to close had grown to an estimated 8,570 acres and the White Sage Fire to nearly 52,000 acres by Tuesday evening.
