Grand Canyon Wildfires: Wildfires Expand Rapidly And Defy Containment Efforts
The fire destroyed 50-80 structures at the North Rim, including a water treatment facility causing a ... More chlorine gas leak. AP2005
'High-to-extreme' fire activity Sunday night contributed to the Dragon Bravo Fire's expansion, the National Park Service said, as the entire North Rim of the Grand Canyon remains closed.
A total of 295 firefighters were deployed to fight the blaze, the NPS said, which is still at 0% containment after burning over 5,700 acres.
The White Sage Fire, the other fire that sparked in a nearby area on July 9, has now more than doubled in size since Saturday, expanding to burn over 49,000 acres as of Monday afternoon.
The Dragon Bravo Fire grew quickly Saturday night around 10:30 p.m. MST, the National Park Service said in an earlier statement, as winds, hot temperatures and low relative humidity exacerbated conditions in the region.
The fire grew quickly overnight Saturday into Sunday morning, expanding to burn over 500 acres in the park as wind gusts reached up to 40 miles per hour.
Park staff and residents were evacuated before the fire reached the structure and no injuries have been reported, the NPS said.
About 70 structures have been destroyed in the blaze, the NPS said, including a visitor's center, a gas station, an administrative building and employee housing, Grand Canyon park Superintendent Ed Keable told the Associated Press.
The fire also destroyed a waste water treatment facility, the NPS said, prompting authorities to close trails on the North Rim after they confirmed the damage released chlorine gas that could pose a health risk.
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs on Sunday night called for a 'comprehensive and independent investigation' into how the fire was being managed. '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,' Hobbs wrote in a post on X. Controlled burns, or a prescribed fire, are used by the NPS for a number of objectives, including to 'to reduce fuels and thereby prevent a destructive fire.' Crucial Quote
'Chlorine gas is heavier than air and can quickly settle into lower elevations such as the inner canyon,' the NPS said in another statement, forcing the park to evacuate firefighters battling the blaze and cancel river trips inside the canyon.
Firefighters are using an 'aggressive full suppression strategy,' the NPS said Sunday, after extreme heat conditions forced it to stop managing the Dragon Bravo Fire as a controlled burn. The firefighters on the ground faced 'dangerous and fast-changing conditions' while working overnight, the NPS said. Firefighters continued this strategy Monday, deploying heavy aerial resources and a hazmat team to mitigate the chlorine gas leak. Extreme heat conditions were reported both Sunday and Monday, with the Phantom Ranch lodge inside the canyon reaching highs of 115 degrees. Big Number
4.9 million. That's how many people visited Grand Canyon National Park in 2024, according to the NPS' data. However, the majority of these tourists spend their time at the more easily accessible South Rim, rather than the seasonally open and more isolated North Rim.
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