
An explosive Grand Canyon wildfire brings terror, loss and tough questions: ‘It came like a freight train'
Fire managers decided that conditions seemed ideal to let the blaze burn at a low intensity – a practice known as 'control and contain' that helps clear out excess fuels and decreases the chance of a more catastrophic wildfire in the future. Rains from previous weeks had left the forest floor moist and weather forecasts indicated the summer monsoon season would arrive soon.
But a week later, the park's strategy fell apart. On 11 July, the fire burst through its containment lines and began to rapidly pick up speed – exploding tenfold in a day.
'The fire sounded like a freight train coming towards us,' says a firefighter, who was part of the National Parks Service crew battling the blaze.
By 12 July, it seemed the destruction was unstoppable. Over the next 24 hours some 70 buildings would be destroyed, including the historic Grand Canyon Lodge, dozens of visitor cabins as well as park administrative offices and residences. Images of the smoldering lodge and the smoke-filled canyon filled news stories and social media feeds.
Suddenly, it felt like the whole world was questioning the decision to not put the blaze out immediately. Almost two weeks after it began, the so-called Dragon Bravo fire is still only 2% contained and encompasses nearly 12,000 acres (4,856 hectares), as more than 750 firefighters have battled the blaze.
The park's North Rim has long been the sleepy cousin of the more bustling South Rim, bringing in just 10% of the park's annual visitors, and inspiring loyal fans. News of the tragedy has hit Grand Canyon lovers hard. The area has been shut down for the remainder of the season, and hundreds of national park and concession employees have suddenly found themselves without homes and jobs. An untold number of summer vacations to the park have been cancelled.
But there is also a more existential loss. A place beloved by visitors and employees for its beauty and solitude has suddenly been ripped away. And the heart of that sanctuary, the Grand Canyon Lodge – the park's Notre Dame – is in ruins.
'It's hard to put into words how devastating the loss of the Grand Canyon Lodge is,' wrote one longtime Grand Canyon North Rim park employee on social media. 'The Lodge and North Rim weren't just buildings and trails – they were a home to us … and now it's gone. It feels like a piece of who we are has burned with it.'
As the initial shock subsides and the reality of the loss sets in, questions are swirling about how the tragedy occurred – and how to move forward.
In hindsight, the decision not to tamp out the fire swiftly has drawn the most scrutiny. But the Grand Canyon fire crew member who was on scene in early July, who asked not to be identified for fear of losing his job, said it seemed like a reasonable call based on assessment at the time.
For the first few days after it broke out, the blaze behaved exactly as expected. But then on 11 July the humidity level suddenly plummeted. Embers began jumping containment lines in the dry air as strong winds changed direction and the fire escaped down a drainage, picking up momentum as if gasoline had been dumped on it. By the next day it had exploded from 120 acres to 1,500 acres.
Some 500 visitors at the North Rim had already been evacuated due to another fire burning outside the park, dubbed the White Sage fire. The remaining residents were evacuated, and the park's fire crew began hosing down structures. But the team was lacking adequate equipment and manpower, the firefighter said.
According to the firefighter, some of the department's already limited resources had been sent to fight the White Sage fire. They were missing two fire engines and a bulldozer, and they needed more boots on the ground. Plus, aerial suppression support would not arrive until the next day.
By nightfall on 11 July, the fast-growing fire had surrounded the crew and they were instructed by managers to take cover in the North Rim's fire station. Soon, he said, the fire was everywhere. Nearby, another group of firefighters were trapped on a helipad, flanked by flames 100ft (30.5 metres) tall.
'We were trapped,' recalled the firefighter. 'We thought we were going to die. Propane tanks from surrounding buildings were exploding all around us. Our homes and our friend's homes were burning and there was nothing we could do.'
Located at a cool elevation of 8,000ft on the Kaibab plateau in northern Arizona, Grand Canyon national park's North Rim is a four-hour drive from the more famous South Rim. The isolation is what makes it special for park employees and visitors, but the largely undeveloped region is also especially vulnerable to wildfire. A single paved road connects the park to Jacob Lake, a small village some 50 miles away.
The ponderosa pine forest ecosystem of the Kaibab plateau relies on regular low-intensity fires to stay healthy, but those fires were supressed by federal policies throughout most of the 20th century. National park managers have attempted to restore the Grand Canyon's natural forest ecosystem over the last two decades through prescribed fires, or by allowing lightning-sparked wildfires to burn.
The strategy went off without a hitch as recently as July 2022, when a lightning strike started a fire on the North Rim that grew to only 1,300 acres as fire crews tightly managed the boundaries of the blaze.
However, other examples have been less successful. In June 2006, a lightning-sparked fire trapped several hundred visitors after strong winds pushed the flames beyond its containment lines. The only paved road out of the park was blocked by flames, but law enforcement officers led visitors to safety on a web of winding dirt roads.
Ken Phillips, who worked at Grand Canyon for 27 years and served as chief of emergency services, believes the decision to let the Dragon Bravo fire burn was a mistake. He also points out that lives could have been lost if visitors had not already been evacuated due to the White Sage fire.
'The North Rim did not need to burn the way it did and put firefighters in harm's way,' he said. 'There is a history of escaped managed wildfires at Grand Canyon. It is very tragic that the lessons learned from those fires weren't heeded in this situation.'
In response to a request for comment about the handling of the fire, a spokesperson directed the Guardian to a public statement from Ed Keable, the Grand Canyon superintendent, that described the wildfire as a 'devastating event'.
In a previous statement to the Arizona Republic, Rachel Pawlitz, a park spokesperson, defended the initial handling of the fire and also contradicted what firefighters said they experienced on 11 and 12 July. 'We've lost buildings but hundreds of lives were saved due to the fact that this fire was expertly handled,' she said. 'The firefighters did not put themselves or others at risk when they managed the initial firefight, pushing historic wind gusts that caused the fire to jump multiple containment features and move toward facilities instead.'
Built in 1936, the Grand Canyon Lodge sits at the tip of a peninsula jutting out into the canyon allowing unmatched views of the natural wonder. Visitor cabins, perched on the rim nearby, are shaded by towering old growth pine and spruce trees.
Kathryn Leonard, the state historic preservation officer for the state of Arizona, calls the style of the historic buildings 'national park rustic'. The lodge and cabins echo the surrounding environment with rock walls made from Kaibab limestone and roofs supported by exposed ponderosa pine trusses.
The Grand Canyon Lodge was uniquely 'idyllic' and 'open' according to Leonard. Once visitors entered the building, they could walk down a stairway where a sun room with leather couches featured a giant south-facing picture window looking out onto the Grand Canyon, some 5,000ft deep and 20 miles across. The best view in the house was on the lodge patio where visitors leaned back in Adirondack chairs and watched the sunset while sipping a beer.
Pictures of the lodge that circulated on social media after the fire showed that all but two Adirondack chairs had been destroyed. Everything else was ash except for the limestone walls.
'I couldn't believe that the lodge was gone until I saw the photo,' said Phillips, the former emergency services manager. 'The loss of the entire North Rim developed area is like the death of a close friend.'
'The scale of this loss is breathtaking,' agreed Leonard. 'Historic resources are non-renewable and the workmanship in the cabin and lodge interiors can't be replaced.'
Yet Leonard is also cautiously optimistic that some elements of the building can be salvaged. 'There could be a way to rebuild that does not attempt to replicate what was there but honors it.'
Beyond the charred facilities, the more lasting damage could be to the Grand Canyon's environment itself.
The forested area on the Kaibab plateau where the Dragon Bravo fire is burning encompasses the recharge zone feeding Roaring Springs, the park's sole drinking water source. Rain and snowmelt percolate down through the ground to feed the springs located several thousand feet below the canyon rim. Surface water in the area also flows off the plateau and into Bright Angel Creek.
'From a hydrology perspective, the fire is a disaster,' said Mark Nebel, who until recently retiring, oversaw water monitoring at Grand Canyon.
Nebel worries that ash, sediment and chemical fire retardant may seep through the ground and into the aquifer that feeds the springs. These pollutants will also likely be swept into the Bright Angel watershed this summer as flash flooding is expected to occur as a result of the fire.
'The drinking water quality in the park could be impacted for many years,' added Nebel.
As Arizona governor Katie Hobbs has called for an investigation into park service decisions and firefighters continue to battle the blaze, North Rim employees find themselves reminiscing about happier times.
John McFarland, a former maintenance mechanic who lived and worked on the North Rim for 30 years, recalls how he organized a Fourth of July parade at the park every summer that was followed by an 'epic' water gun fight in front of the lodge. Many of the buildings he cared for are gone, but he is taking the loss in stride.
'The Grand Canyon is still there,' he said. 'Some of the old growth trees are still there. The place will come back.'
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Sun
23 minutes ago
- The Sun
Supermarket giant offering all loyalty scheme members better rates on travel money this summer to save you cash
M&S has launched a click & collect for travel money as well as better rates for Sparks customers. Jet-setters can now pre-order cash from the country they are travelling to and pick it up in 560 of the chain's stores. 1 Over 50 currencies are available to choose from with some - such as euros and US dollars -available to order and collect on the same day. However, you may have to wait a week to get more exotic cash such as the Japanese Yen. Plus, the beloved British brand said Sparks loyalty customers can get better rates than those not signed up for the scheme. At the time of reporting, a non Sparks customer who converts £100 into euro, will get €112.43. But a Sparks customer will get €112.66 back. Meanwhile, if you convert £100 into dollars, you will get $132.07 back as a non loyalty member. But a Sparks customer will get $132.34. Katherine Carlson, director of financial services at M&S, said: 'We want to be able to reward our Sparks customers for their loyalty and what better way to do so than helping their money go further on holiday. "And with customers now able to pick up their travel money in more of our stores than ever before, it has never been easier to get ready for your holiday with M&S." She added: "Offering our customers the very best products, services and rewards are a key part of the transformation of our financial services offering and this is just the latest step in that journey.' If you are keen to exchange cash before your holiday, it is important to shop around at a few different places to ensure you are getting the best rate. For example, you can also exchange cash your local Post Office and other supermarkets like Asda and Morrisons offer the service too. M&S launches first-of-its-kind store It is free to sign up for a Sparks card and it also unlocks lots of other offers including a free Birthday treat. Last week, the home of the Percy Pig said the rewards scheme was fully back following its cruel cyber attack. The chain said it would issue a host of "thank you" treats to those who missed out on the birthday freebie. Eager customers will be able to choose between one of two of M&S' bestselling food products. These could include Percy Pigs or a Swiss Truffle Assortment Box, a Bouquet of Flowers or bottle of Prosecco, a punnet of Grapes or a packet of Outrageously Chocolatey Round Biscuits. Sparks birthday treats were among the casualties of the cyber attack for those who had a birthday over the spring and early summer. M&S cyber attack M&S is picking up the pieces from a vicious cyber attack which occurred in April and cost the firm £300million in lost profits. For weeks the beloved retailer was unable to process online orders and store shelves were left bare. Online shopping has since returned across England, Scotland and Wales. Earlier this month, three teenagers and a woman were arrested in the UK as part of an investigation into attacks, which also targeted Co-op and Harrods. They have since been released on bail. More M&S news This week, the chain opened its first ever air-side shop in London 's Heathrow airport. It means jet setters can now stock up on iconic M&S food after going through security. It is located at Gate A in Terminal 5 of the busy London airport. A second store also opened at Gate B, selling gifts such as its popular biscuit tins as well as prepackaged food. HISTORY OF M&S M&S was founded in 1884 by Michael Marks and Thomas Spencer in Leeds. The first official Marks and Spencer store opened in Manchester in 1901. Throughout the 1920s, M&SA gre rapidly, opening more and more stores across the country. The retailer made its reputation in the early 20th century by selling only British-made products. It began textile sales in 1926 and started selling food from 1931. The St Michael trademark was introduced in 1928 as a guarantee of quality and value. This was initially used only for a small range of textiles but was extended over the years to cover all goods sold by M&S. M&S introduced its first in-store cafe in 1935 in the Leeds store. It provided cheap, hygienic, and nutritious mass catering. By 1942, M&S opened 82 cafes across its estate. At the outbreak of the Second World War, M&S had 234 stores. By 1945, over 100 of these had been damaged by bombs, and 16 had been completely destroyed. BY 1960, M&S pioneered in the sale of fresh poultry following the invention of the cold-chain process. In the 1970s and 1980s, M&S pushed into international markets including the US, Canada and France. In 1979, M&S introduced the Chicken Kiev to its food halls across the UK. In 1992, Percy Pigs were launched. The Autograph range of clothing was introduced in 2000, and the St Michael brand was slowly phased out. In 2019, the group announced 110 store closures as part of its plans, affecting several longstanding high-street shops. In September 2020, M&S partnered with Ocado to allow for home delivery of the chain's full food range. M&S has recently announced new stores and is freshening up a swathe of others in a boost for shoppers.


The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
Woman who lives on cruise ship reveals top ‘gross' habit she sees from guests
After living on a cruise ship for six months out of the year, a woman has pointed out the most disgusting habit she has seen from her fellow passengers. Christine Kesteloo, a 44-year-old business owner and content creator on TikTok, recently spoke to Unilad about what she notices when she is aboard the ship with her husband, who works as a chief staff engineer. While she told the publication that living on a cruise ship 'feels like a constant vacation,' she did admit that everything is not sunshine and rainbows. 'As far as gross [parts], I don't like when guests go to the buffet directly after the gym, [and] don't wash their hands,' Kesteloo said. Despite the drawback, the TikToker pointed out that she mostly enjoys her cruise life, noting that her ship only carries 1,400 passengers compared to larger and more commercial ships that house at least 5,000 people. 'Most of the 'myths' you have heard about cruise ships are wrong,' Kesteloo added. 'Yes, I do drink the water, and no, you can't fall overboard unless you are doing something you shouldn't. Cruising is safe.' However, the best part of living on a cruise ship, according to her, is the extra perks. 'I have been to 109 countries. I also don't have to pay for petrol, food, make my bed, do my laundry, or clean my room,' she said. Kesteloo also noted in an interview with The Mirror that every time she and her husband are on the ship, they stay in 'the best cabin in the whole entire ship.' The only amenity she does not take advantage of is the boat's casino. 'I am not allowed to sit at a slot machine and play my heart until I win because it would look a little weird if I, as the wife of the chief staff engineer, won like a big jackpot. So I am not allowed to gamble on the ship,' she said. And because her husband is an employee on the ship, she tries to ensure the guests are given priority over her. 'If the pool is packed, I make sure to get off and give the guests a seat, it's just the right thing to do,' Kesteloo said. 'I totally understand how to give guests the best time, and I don't think a crew member taking their seat is the right thing to do.'


Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
The best wellness resorts in the U.S. to spend your PTO on this year - with spas, pools, saunas, and more
Daily Mail journalists select and curate the products that feature on our site. If you make a purchase via links on this page we will earn commission - learn more Everyone deserves a break. What better way is there to use your hard-earned PTO than by checking into a wellness retreat where relaxation is the main event? Whether you need a spa to relax in, or a secluded private beach to laze the day away, there's a wellness hotel option for every kind of traveler. Below, we've rounded up the best wellness-focused stays across the U.S., spotlighting exactly what makes each one worth the trip. Best wellness resorts Lake Austin Spa Resort This adults-only resort offers private balconies with stunning views of Lake Austin or the surrounding gardens. The hotel leads to a secluded private beach, and the full-service spa is always on hand when you're in need of a massage. The property also offers live music, cooking classes, workout classes, and much more — depending on what kind of wellness activity you're looking for. There are even outdoor and indoor swimming pools, and a games room to relax and enjoy in. $1,200+/night Shop YO1 Longevity & Health Resorts, Catskills The Catskills is my favorite place for an escape as a New York local, and this stunning 1,300-acre property is quite literally surrounded by lakes and forests. Whether it's yoga, Ayurvedic treatments, or other holistic treatments you're looking for, this resort has it all. There's also an indoor pool, organic restaurant on site, and juice bar. The resort offers various programs too, including a detox program, pain relief program, anxiety management program, and more. You can easily add these on to your luxury getaway for the full relaxation experience. $400+/night Shop Carillon Miami Wellness Resort Another beautiful property with a private beach, the Carillon Miami has a full-service spa that offers all sorts of body rituals — including neuromuscular therapy. There are four vast pools and four hot tubs to relax in on property, and both a cycling and walking trail to fully zone out with. Plus, there's even a rock climbing wall on site. The hotel also offers hydrotherapy and thermal therapy treatments, plus a wide variety of both beauty and skincare treatments, allowing you to build your wellness retreat as you please. For those who want something really private, the property also offers touchless treatments including a wave massage machine and Himalayan salt chamber. $490+/night Shop Woodstock Inn & Resort This property was highly rated on for its comfortable beds — so if you've been struggling to sleep, this is the wellness getaway for you. There is, of course, a spa on site, but each room also comes with a delectable, cozy bathroom full of organic bath products. Relax, drink a glass of wine, and simmer away in your private bathtub. My favorite part is there's a library on site as well as a retro-fitted game room featuring a pool table, pinball, and various board games. You can also choose to take part in activities like golf, fly fishing, bird watching, and more — especially if your way to relaxation is spending time outdoors. $500+/night Shop CIVANA Wellness Resort & Spa If you need a wellness getaway focused on classes, this is it. You can choose from over 10 complimentary classes daily, including pilates, yoga, meditation, and more. The spa offers various aqua therapies too, including therapy pools, cold plunges, saunas, and more. The one and only KLAFS SANARIUM will let you experience five different climates in just one sauna — yes, really. And, you can finally relax with a deep tissue massage once you're done. Leave feeling energized and rejuvenated — it's an experience sure not to disappoint. $280+/night Shop Nemacolin This 2,000-acre property in Farmington, Pennsylvania, is one of the largest on our list. It has four swimming pools, six restaurants, a spa, fitness center, and tennis courts on site. There are multiple different rooms available too, depending on your budget and size of family. At The Peak, you can indulge in hot tubs, ziplining, music performances, and more. They also have lounge chairs and cabanas to spend the day at. The property also offers golf courses, jeep off-roading, wildlife adventures, and more. Plus, the spa offers a holistic healing center where you can create a wellness plan based on your body's needs. $800+/night Shop