Kelly, Gallego, Gosar, Crane question feds on blaze that destroyed Grand Canyon Lodge
- The Grand Canyon Lodge on the North Rim was destroyed by the Dragon Bravo wildfire, which began with a lightning strike on July 4 and spread rapidly due to high winds.
- Arizona officials, including Democratic Sens. Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego, and GOP Rep. Paul Gosar, are calling for an investigation into the fire's handling.
- Gov. Katie Hobbs and Attorney General Kris Mayes also support an investigation, raising concerns about the federal government's response and potential impacts of Trump administration cuts to agencies.
Arizona officials on both sides of the aisle are calling for an investigation into the Dragon Bravo Fire that destroyed the Grand Canyon Lodge.
The historic lodge on the North Rim was consumed by a wildfire that started with a lightning strike on July 4. The blaze grew and continued burning heavily 10 days later.
Democratic Sens. Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego pressed Interior Secretary Doug Burgum in a joint letter on why the fire was initially treated as a controlled burn until “strong winds allowed the fire to jump multiple containment features.”
“The Grand Canyon is Arizona’s crown jewel. The Dragon Bravo fire has already devastated this natural and cultural treasure, and the fire continues to spread. As the Department of Interior is poised to take on even more wildfire response responsibility under President Trump’s wildfire consolidation executive order, our constituents deserve to know that the best wildfire response decisions are being made,” Kelly and Gallego wrote in a July 14 letter.
Park officials initially monitored the fire as a controlled burn rather than actively extinguish it. They changed course on July 11, after high winds caused the fire to spread.
The lawmakers requested an analysis into why the fire was treated as a controlled burn, and whether recent heat trends and dryness were taken into account. They also asked how the Interior Department plans to avoid similar fire spread in the future and how the officials will track wildfire decision-making now that President Donald Trump has ordered the wildland fire workforce to consolidate.
"We cannot allow these decisions to damage thousands of acres in northern Arizona, risk the health and safety of residents, and destroy landmarks like the historic Grand Canyon Lodge, which was lost to the Dragon Bravo fire," they wrote.
The federal government’s wildland firefighters are overseen by the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture. Trump ordered Burgum and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins to consolidate their wildland fire programs to be more “efficient” and “effective” in a June 12 executive order.
The order was inspired by the disjointed response to the massive wildfires in Los Angeles at the beginning of 2025, the Trump administration said.
"This administration will not sit back and watch the destruction of our forests and property. We have the largest and most well-respected wildland firefighting force in the world, and the Trump administration is working in lockstep to reduce fire risk and respond quickly to emerging fires," Rollins said in a statement in June 2025.
In their letter to Burgum, Kelly and Gallego also asked what resources the department provided to respond to the fire after it escaped containment, and whether more resources were needed.
Meanwhile, Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Arizona, said he’ll use his spot on two key committees to call for an investigation.
“The Congressman is both sickened and troubled by the fire. As the dean of the Arizona congressional delegation and as member of both the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and the House Natural Resources Committee he will be calling for a full and complete investigation. More details very soon,” Gosar spokesperson Anthony Foti said in an email.
Rep. Eli Crane, R-Arizona, supports an investigation into the fire, his Chief of Staff Greg Smith told The Republic.
Crane called the fire "devastating" in a post to social media and said he is in touch with park leadership and the Interior Department. He'd like to see the lodge rebuilt, but said that's a discussion for after the fire is extinguished.
The Grand Canyon Lodge lodge was the only hotel located inside the national park at the North Rim. Built with ponderosa pine beams and a massive limestone facade, it took five years to rebuild after the original lodge burned down in a kitchen fire in 1932. "I’m grateful to the firefighters heroically working to contain the Bravo Dragon and White Sage fires burning on the North Rim. I expect a full after-action report. Once this fire is contained, I will work to make sure NPS has the resources necessary to rebuild structures lost so that Arizonans and visitors from around the world can enjoy the beauty and wonder of the Grand Canyon," Rep. Greg Stanton, D-Arizona, said.
Despite the mounting calls for an investigation into the fire, a National Park Service spokesperson said the blaze has been "expertly handled" and noted nobody has died.
"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," NPS spokesperson Rachel 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."
The National Park Service did not comment on whether the historic lodge would be rebuilt. The North Rim is closed for the rest of the 2025 season, officials said.
Rep. Juan Ciscomani, R-Arizona, praised firefighters in a written statement. He did not say whether he'd like to see an investigation into the fire.
“The Grand Canyon National Park stands as a symbol of Arizona to both the nation and the world. The damage and loss caused by the Dragon Bravo fire over the weekend to the Grand Canyon Lodge and surrounding buildings is heartbreaking and devastating," he said. "It is fortunate that no injuries have been reported. We owe a great deal of gratitude to the brave firefighters on the frontlines who prevented this blaze and the nearby White Sage Fire from becoming even worse."
Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs questioned the federal government’s handling of the blaze and called for an investigation.
“An incident of this magnitude demands intense oversight and scrutiny into the federal government’s emergency response," Hobbs said in a written statement. “Arizonans deserve answers for how this fire was allowed to decimate the Grand Canyon National Park. While the flame was started with a lightning strike, the federal government chose to manage that fire as a controlled burn during the driest, hottest part of the Arizona summer."
Attorney General Kris Mayes, a Democrat, told reporters on July 14 that she supported Hobbs’ call for a fire probe. She questioned the government’s initial decision to handle the fire as a controlled burn, and whether Trump administration cuts to funding and staffing for federal agencies may have played a role in the tragedy.
There is "zero indication" that federal funding or staffing cuts worsened the fire, Crane's chief of staff said.
The Department of Agriculture and the Department of Interior are among the top 10 agencies where Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency has delivered cost savings, according to the DOGE website.
“We need to know what happened,” Mayes said. “I have to wonder whether some of the cuts to the Forest Service or to the National Park Service or to our hotshot crews — that we have been trying to prevent through our lawsuits — played into this. I don’t know for sure. But I think those are some of the questions that need to be asked as part of an investigation.”
She also cast doubt on whether the Trump administration will provide an impartial investigation, pointing to what she called “the lawlessness of this administration and its proclivity to lie constantly.” However, Mayes said it was unclear who could function as an outside investigator.
Bobbie Scopa, a retired firefighter and board member of the Grassroots Wildland Firefighters advocacy group, said it is too early to tell whether DOGE cuts worsened the Dragon Bravo Fire in Arizona.
“DOGE cuts are having an impact in other places,” Scopa said, pointing to staffing issues that firefighters are facing in the Pacific Northwest. “I can tell you that in some places, fire crews are not up to their full staffing.”
When the fire is investigated, Scopa said it will be important to see whether the National Weather Service was fully staffed and able to monitor the weather. Strong winds, above-average temperatures and a drop in humidity helped fuel the fire in recent days.
The National Weather Service’s team at the National Interagency Fire Center had not yet been contacted to assist with an investigation into how the fire was handled, spokesperson Erica Grow Cei said, noting that type of request typically comes later.
The weather service had incident meteorologists available to meet the request from the Dragon Bravo Fire and more available to deploy, she added.
Stephanie Murray covers national politics and the Trump administration for The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. Reach her via email at stephanie.murray@gannett.com and on X, Bluesky, TikTok and Threads @stephanie_murr.