A wildfire in tinder-dry forest on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon grew by around 50% today after it destroyed dozens of buildings, prompting public outrage that it was left to burn for a week before firefighters tried to fully extinguish it.

The Dragon Bravo Fire has burned more than 8,500 acres southeast of the Grand Canyon. The fire was sparked by lightning on July 4 and has destroyed dozens of structures on the North Rim, including the historic Grand Canyon Lodge.

Lightning started the Dragon Bravo Fire on July 4, 2025. The fire was burning in the ponderosa pine forest within the northern national park boundaries, consuming 5,000 acres. The entire North Rim of the Grand Canyon was closed. The fire had burned between 50 and 80 structures on the North Rim, according to park officials.

Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs has called for an independent investigation into the federal response management of a wildfire that caused numerous residents and workers to evacuate and destroyed a historic lodge.

Firefighters are battling a lightning-caused wildfire on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. The Dragon Bravo Fire has burned down the Grand Canyon Lodge and triggered a chlorine gas leak.

But for Frisco, it was the stay at Grand Canyon Lodge, the North Rim’s near century-old accommodation, that made the biggest impression. She could already see herself returning someday to the sprawling property,

The fire that burned for days on the North Rim of Grand Canyon before it became uncontrollable was "expertly handled," the National Park Service said.

The Dragon Bravo Fire started on July 4 at the Grand Canyon's North Rim and was 10 acres but things changed last weekend when flames went out of control. Crews let the fire burn for days and managed it for "resource objects,