Grand Canyon's North Rim fire still raging amid strong winds, 'extreme heat'
Firefighters in Arizona struggled to gain control over a pair of damaging blazes that devastated Grand Canyon National Park's North Rim, destroying a historic lodge and dozens of other buildings and triggering widespread evacuations and road closures.
The Dragon Bravo Fire burning inside the park had torched 8,500 acres of land and was 0% contained as of Tuesday, July 15. Federal officials initially treated the fire as a controlled burn before powerful winds caused it to explode in size over the weekend, spurring evacuations as it swallowed whole structures, including the Grand Canyon Lodge, the only hotel inside the national park at the North Rim.
Federal lawmakers and Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs have called for an investigation into the wildfire response and whether it was mishandled by the National Park Service. "The destruction of the Grand Canyon Lodge was a tragedy and Arizonans deserve answers," Hobbs said.
North of the Grand Canyon, the White Sage Fire has charred 81 square miles of land and remained at 0% containment, according to InciWeb, a federal government wildfire tracker. No one has been injured in the blazes, officials said.
The National Park Service has closed the Grand Canyon's North Rim for the rest of the year. The North Rim, commonly called "the other side of the Grand Canyon," is much less popular than the South Rim and receives about 10% of the park's visitors. Still, the loss of the nearly century-old lodge and other buildings has shocked many Arizonians and hikers.
Lightning strikes ignited both fires earlier this month and strong winds, high temperatures and low humidity caused their rapid expansion. Scorching temperatures have hampered firefighters' ability to battle the blaze on the ground – and the heat showed no signs of abating July 15.
Pressure mounts for investigation into Grand Canyon wildfire response
Legislators on both sides of the aisle are calling for an investigation into how the National Park Service handled the Dragon Bravo Fire that tore through the Grand Canyon's North Rim, destroying a historic cabin and dozens of other buildings.
Democratic Sens. Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego in a joint letter to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum requested a probe of why the fire was initially treated as a controlled burn and how the agency is handling wildfires following President Donald Trump's executive order to consolidate wildland fire programs.
The National Park Service is overseen by the U.S. Department of the Interior.
Republican Reps. Eli Crane and Paul Gosar said they also support an investigation into the wildfire response.
“The congressman is both sickened and troubled by the fire," Gosar spokesperson Anthony Foti said in an email, adding that Gosar will use his position on the House Oversight Committee to call for a "full and complete investigation."
Grand Canyon wildfire was 'expertly handled,' park service says
The lightning-caused wildfire that burned for days near the North Rim of the Grand Canyon before it became uncontrollable and destroyed roughly 70 structures was "expertly handled," according to the National Park Service.
Rachel Pawlitz, a National Park Service spokesperson, defended the fire management strategy in a statement to The Arizona Republic, part of the Paste BN Network, saying firefighters had set up containment lines and properly mitigated risk before powerful and unexpected wind gusts arrived.
"We've lost buildings, but hundreds of lives were saved due to the fact this fire was expertly handled. The park was quickly and effectively evacuated before any impacts," Pawlitz said. "The firefighters did not put themselves or others at risk when they managed the initial response to this fire.
"The winds shifted unexpectedly during the firefight, pushing historic wind gusts that caused the fire to jump multiple containment features and move toward facilities instead," she said.
"The safety of the public and firefighters comes first," Pawlick said. "We may be saddened by the loss of buildings, but those can be re-built."
'Short on resources': Air crew member on Grand Canyon fire response
Curt Stanley was directing airplanes and helicopters on the night flames pushed toward the Grand Canyon Lodge and eventually destroyed the nearly century-old building and its surrounding cabins.
"We were just short on resources, didn't have enough people, enough aircraft to get there and, you know, effectively fight the fire," Stanley told The Arizona Republic, speaking about his first night working on the fire as part of an air attack crew.
Officials estimate the Dragon Bravo Fire has destroyed 70 structures as of July 14. The Grand Canyon Lodge, which opened in 1937, caught fire around 10:30 p.m. July 12 when unusually gusty winds pushed the fire over containment lines, said Stefan La-Sky, public information officer for Southwest Area Complex Incident Management Team.
Stanley said crews were unable to stop the fire from spreading to the lodge and nearby structures despite it being a top priority.
"The lodge and all the historic cabins and employee housing, all that was our No. 1 area for protection," he said
Grand Canyon North Rim under 'extreme heat warning'
The National Weather Service on July 15 extended an "extreme heat warning" for the Grand Canyon's North Rim.
Temperatures could range from 102 to 110 degrees through the afternoon, according to the weather alert, which discouraged physical activity in the area.
The North Rim, which receives only a fraction of the millions of visitors to the Grand Canyon, was evacuated and closed for the season late last week as the White Sage Fire expanded toward the park. Firefighters have since battled the blaze aggressively. Personnel on the ground and a number of aircraft dumping water and retardant over the flames.
Grand Canyon views are still 'breathtaking, even with the smoke'
At the Mather Point overlook jutting out over the Grand Canyon's South Rim, visitors took in stunning vistas as well as plumes of black smoke from where the Dragon Bravo Fire was still burning.
Michelle Akrami was all smiles as she introduced her 13-year-old son, Evan, to the unforgettable view she first witnessed at 15. The family is spending three days camping at the South Rim before returning to Southern California.
"It's even more grand than I remembered," she told The Arizona Republic. "It's breathtaking, even with the smoke."
Jeff Bishop and Gene Gravatt, tourists from Virginia, were supposed to stay at the North Rim, but their two-week bus tour rerouted the group of 40 after the closure announcements. Leaning on the railing at Mather Point, both men said the change of plans had been pretty seamless. They were just glad to be able to access the park.
"It's still beautiful," Bishop said.
Wildfires in Colorado trigger evacuations, shut down national park
Firefighters in Colorado were battling multiple blazes that have prompted evacuations in several counties, led the governor to issue a disaster declaration and closed a national park.
The largest of the wildfires has torched 4,000 acres of land in Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, forcing the park to close as officials ordered nearby communities to evacuate.
Over the weekend, Gov. Jared Polis declared disasters in counties across western parts of the state. Officials said most of the wildfires were sparked by lightning last week and have been fueled by high heat and strong wind gusts.
Contributing: Rey Covarrubias Jr. and Joan Meiners, Arizona Republic; Nate Trela, Fort Collins Coloradoan