Dragon Bravo Fire
| Dragon Bravo Fire | |
|---|---|
| Part of the 2025 Arizona wildfires | |
| Date(s) | July 4, 2025 – Present |
| Location | Grand Canyon North Rim |
| Coordinates | 36°23′20.4″N 112°2′54.4″W / 36.389000°N 112.048444°W |
| Statistics | |
| Perimeter | 29% contained |
| Burned area | 141,147 acres (57,120 ha) |
| Impacts | |
| Structures destroyed | 80+ including Grand Canyon Lodge[1] |
| Ignition | |
| Cause | Lightning |
| Map | |
Location in northern Arizona | |
The Dragon Bravo Fire is a megafire burning near the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona that began on July 4, 2025. As of August 9, the fire had so far burned 141,147 acres (57,120 ha) and is 36% contained.[2][1][3]
The fire has destroyed at least 80 structures, including the historic Grand Canyon Lodge[1][4] and is also threatening Kaibab Lodge.[5][6] It is the 10th largest wildfire in Arizona history and the largest wildfire in the United States during the 2025 wildfire season.[7][8][9]
Events
July
The Dragon Bravo Fire was first reported on July 9, 2025, at around 5:05 pm MST.[2] Firefighters initially chose the "confine and contain" strategy, which allowed the fire to burn for more than a week, before taking more aggressive actions.[10]
On July 13, the historic Grand Canyon Lodge inside the park at the North Rim was destroyed due to the fire. Dozens of other structures on the North Rim have also been destroyed.[1][4] Firefighters had managed to make progress using aerial fire retardant drops near the lodge but had to pull back due to a chlorine gas leak at a nearby water treatment plant.[10]
The fate of other historic buildings in the area, including those associated with the Grand Canyon Inn and Campground and Grand Canyon North Rim Headquarters is not known.[10]
On July 31, the fire significantly increased in size, burning over 105,000 acres (42,000 ha) of land, becoming a megafire.[11][3]
August
On August 1, 2025 a localized red-flag warning was issued for the fires immediate area.[12]
Cause
The cause of the fire is believed to be due to lightning.[2][13] Initially the fire was managed as a controlled burn until dry and windy conditions caused the fire to grow significantly in size.[8]
Impact
Closures and evacuations
On July 13, the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park was closed for the remainder of the 2025 season. Mandatory evacuation orders were also issued for all North Rim residents.[2][14][15][16]
Parts of SR 67 were closed due to the fire.[17]
Criticism of response
Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs called for a federal investigation into the National Park Service handling of the fire. She also criticized the federal government for initially managing the fire as a controlled burn.[10]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d
- "Wildfire destroys historic Grand Canyon Lodge, forces North Rim closure for the season". NBC News. July 13, 2025. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
- "Wildfire destroys historic Grand Canyon Lodge, forces North Rim closure for the season". NBC News. July 13, 2025. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
- ^ a b c d "Dragon Bravo Fire Information - InciWeb the Incident Information System". inciweb.wildfire.gov. July 13, 2025. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
- ^ a b Breslin, Sean (July 31, 2025). "Grand Canyon Fire Becomes 'Megafire' | Weather.com". weather.com. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
- ^ a b Gonzalez, Janelle (July 14, 2025). Wildfire destroys historic Grand Canyon Lodge | CNN. Retrieved July 14, 2025 – via www.cnn.com.
- ^ Ragas, Lindsey (July 29, 2025). "'Just say a prayer': Dragon Bravo Fire nears Kaibab Lodge". FOX 10 Phoenix. Retrieved July 30, 2025.
- ^ Caltabiano, David (July 29, 2025). "Dragon Bravo Fire threatens Kaibab Lodge near Grand Canyon". KOLD. Retrieved July 30, 2025.
- ^ Stone, Kevin (July 30, 2025). "Dragon Bravo Fire becomes Arizona's 10 largest wildfire". KTAR.com. Retrieved July 30, 2025.
- ^ a b "Dragon Bravo Fire explodes in size to become 10th-largest in Arizona history". 12news.com. July 31, 2025. Retrieved July 31, 2025.
- ^ Cruz, Michelle. "Blaze at the Grand Canyon is the largest US wildfire in 2025". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved August 5, 2025.
- ^ a b c d "A wildfire that destroyed historic Grand Canyon Lodge spread after being allowed to burn for days". AP News. July 14, 2025. Retrieved July 15, 2025.
- ^ Dragon Bravo Fire explodes to over 105K acres. July 31, 2025. Retrieved July 31, 2025 – via www.azfamily.com.
- ^ Orr, Marissa (July 31, 2025). "Localized red-flag warning in effect for Dragon Bravo Fire". KVOA. Retrieved August 1, 2025.
- ^ Cann, Christopher. "Grand Canyon North Rim closed amid raging wildfires". USA TODAY. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
- ^ "Wildfire destroys historic Grand Canyon Lodge, North Rim closes for the season". ABC News. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
- ^ Staff, CBS2 News (July 13, 2025). "Grand Canyon fire destroys historic lodge and cabins, North Rim closed for 2025 season". KEYE. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ reports, wire (July 14, 2025). "Grand Canyon wildfires force evacuations as rim lodge consumed by flames". oregonlive. Retrieved July 14, 2025.
- ^ "US-89A reopens in northern Arizona after two-week closure". 12news.com. July 24, 2025. Retrieved August 1, 2025.