The ongoing Dragon Bravo Fire in northern Arizona is one of two fires that have been burning the North Rim of the Grand Canyon since July 4, 2025. On July 13, the Dragon Bravo wildfire leveled the historic Grand Canyon Lodge. The lodge had stood since the 1920s and survived many wildfires up to that point. It was the only lodging at the North Rim.
According to the U.S. government’s wildfire Incident Information System, the Dragon Bravo Fire began on the 4th of July as a result of a lightning strike within Grand Canyon National Park. The initial management strategy was to “confine and contain,” but then on July 11, strong gusts uncommon to the area accelerated the wildfire. which eventually engulfed multiple structures
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Grand Canyon Park Superintendent Ed Keable reportedly told park staff and residents on Sunday morning that the blaze destroyed the Grand Canyon Lodge and other structures, including the visitor center, the gas station, a waste water treatment plant, an administrative building, and some employee housing. All in all, reports suggest 50-80 structures lost.
The National Park Service has announced access to the North Rim is closed for the rest of the year.
Contribute to a fundraiser set up for those displaced by the wildfire that burned the Grand Canyon Lodge here.
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