Latest news with #DragonBravoFire
Axios
an hour ago
- Climate
- Axios
Photos: Destructive wildfire threatens Grand Canyon's North Rim
Firefighters in Arizona were tackling two out-of-control wildfires in extreme heat on Tuesday — including one at the Grand Canyon National Park's North Rim that's forced evacuations, road closures and razed a historic lodge and other structures. The big picture: The Dragon Bravo Fire that destroyed the Grand Canyon Lodge and prompted parts of the park to close had grown to an estimated 8,570 acres and the White Sage Fire to nearly 52,000 acres by Tuesday evening.
AsiaOne
2 hours ago
- Climate
- AsiaOne
Grand Canyon fire that was left to burn swells 50% after destroying historic lodge, World News
A wildfire in tinder-dry forest on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon grew around 50 per cent on Tuesday (July 15) 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 so-called Dragon Bravo Fire swelled to 8,570 acres after burning the historic Grand Canyon Lodge and 70 other structures, including tourist cabins and park staff housing over the weekend, a spokesperson for the incident team said. Local media reported around 280 National Park Service workers lost their housing in the blaze sparked by lightning on July 4. "It's just like perfect tinder-dry for a fire," said spokesperson Stefan La-Sky of record-low tree moisture in ponderosa pine and fir forest on the North Rim. Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs has demanded an independent investigation into why National Park Service staff let the fire burn during the driest time of the summer in a botched attempt to reduce wildfire risks and improve forest health. The National Park Service said it initially treated the fire with a "confine and contain" strategy to allow for the natural role of fire to reduce fuel accumulations, stimulate new plant growth and help regulate insects and disease. It switched to an "aggressive full suppression strategy" after strong northwest winds on July 11, uncommon to the area, drove the fire towards park buildings on the edge of the canyon, according to the InciWeb US government wildfire site. The blaze was the second so-called managed wildfire on the North Rim in as many decades to have raged out of control. The Warm Fire in 2006 was allowed to burn for weeks following a lightning strike before high winds sent it out of control, briefly trapping hundreds of tourists and park workers before they were evacuated. It went on to burn 59,000 acres, much of it severely. The North Rim of the park will remain closed for the rest of the 2025 season, which runs to October, and inner canyon trails and campgrounds are closed until further notice, the National Park Service said. The South Rim of the park, which attracts around five million visitors annually, remains open. [[nid:720197]]
Time of India
4 hours ago
- Climate
- Time of India
Breaking News Live Updates: Russian strikes kill three in Eastern Ukraine amid Trump's peace deal ultimatum
06:17 (IST) Jul 16 Firefighters are intensely battling two wildfires on the Grand Canyon's North Rim that have collectively scorched over 90 square miles (233 square kilometers) – more than twice the size of Walt Disney World. The blazes have sent thick plumes of smoke billowing into the canyon, visible even from the popular South Rim. The Dragon Bravo Fire, ignited by lightning on July 4, tragically destroyed the nearly century-old Grand Canyon Lodge and dozens of cabins over the weekend. Crews are now focused on protecting vital infrastructure, including a water pumping station, mule stables, and other structures. The fire's rapid escalation due to uncharacteristic nighttime winds (topping 40 mph) and record-low moisture levels has sparked scrutiny over the National Park Service's initial decision to allow it to burn for "resource benefit."
The Sun
4 hours ago
- Climate
- The Sun
Grand Canyon wildfire grows 50% after destroying historic lodge
A wildfire in tinder-dry forest on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon grew around 50% on Tuesday 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 so-called Dragon Bravo Fire swelled to 8,570 acres (3,468 hectares) after burning the historic Grand Canyon Lodge and 70 other structures, including tourist cabins and park staff housing over the weekend, a spokesperson for the incident team said. Local media reported around 280 National Park Service workers lost their housing in the blaze sparked by lightning on July 4. 'It's just like perfect tinder-dry for a fire,' said spokesperson Stefan La-Sky of record-low tree moisture in ponderosa pine and fir forest on the North Rim. Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs has demanded an independent investigation into why National Park Service staff let the fire burn during the driest time of the summer in a botched attempt to reduce wildfire risks and improve forest health. The National Park Service said it initially treated the fire with a 'confine and contain' strategy to allow for the natural role of fire to reduce fuel accumulations, stimulate new plant growth and help regulate insects and disease. It switched to an 'aggressive full suppression strategy' after strong northwest winds on July 11, uncommon to the area, drove the fire towards park buildings on the edge of the canyon, according to the InciWeb U.S. government wildfire site. The blaze was the second so-called managed wildfire on the North Rim in as many decades to have raged out of control. The Warm Fire in 2006 was allowed to burn for weeks following a lightning strike before high winds sent it out of control, briefly trapping hundreds of tourists and park workers before they were evacuated. It went on to burn 59,000 acres (24,000 hectares), much of it severely. The North Rim of the park will remain closed for the rest of the 2025 season, which runs to October, and inner canyon trails and campgrounds are closed until further notice, the National Park Service said. The South Rim of the park, which attracts around 5 million visitors annually, remains open. - Reuters
San Francisco Chronicle
4 hours ago
- Climate
- San Francisco Chronicle
National Park Service defends the handling of lightning-sparked blaze that destroyed historic lodge
GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. (AP) — The National Park Service is defending its handling of a lightning-sparked wildfire that destroyed the nearly century-old Grand Canyon Lodge and dozens of historic cabins, saying containment lines had been built around the blaze and crews were prepared to conduct defensive firing operations. But then came a sudden and extreme shift in the wind that far exceeded forecast conditions, the agency recounted Tuesday in an email sent to The Associated Press. 'The Dragon Bravo Fire began July 4 as a lightning-caused wildfire and was under a full suppression strategy from the outset,' the agency said, adding that the team first assigned to the fire 'effectively managed the fire through its initial phase' and that Grand Canyon National Park requested additional resources as fire activity increased. The Park Service had posted on social media last week that the fire was being managed under a 'confine and contain strategy," which allowed for the natural role of fire on the landscape while minimizing the risk to infrastructure and other values. Arizona's governor and members of the state's congressional delegation called for an investigation as the Park Service immediately came under scrutiny after the lodge and other historic buildings were destroyed. The flames were fanned by uncharacteristic nighttime gusts that topped 40 mph (65 kph), said fire information officer Stefan La-Sky. 'Normally the fire 'lays down' at night because of higher humidity and lower temperatures, but this thing was really wind-driven,' La-Sky said Tuesday, adding that it is extremely dry across the region. The weather was more favorable Tuesday as hundreds of firefighters worked to stop the Dragon Bravo Fire from consuming any more of the buildings along the park's less-visited North Rim, including a water pumping station that supplies the South Rim, La-Sky said. A separate blaze dubbed the White Sage Fire was burning further north. Together, the two fires have charred more than 90 square miles (233 kilometers). That is more than twice the size of the entire Walt Disney World complex in Florida. Tourists watch smoke rise Tourists standing along the park's popular South Rim on Tuesday watched plumes of smoke rise above the sweeping vista, filling the canyon with a thick haze and pooling in its depths. 'By the afternoon, it was completely socked in,' Christi Anderson said of the smoke that had filled the canyon the day before. 'You couldn't see anything, none of that. It was crazy.' Anderson was visiting from California and considered herself lucky because she had shifted her reservation to the South Rim in the preceding days. Otherwise she would have been among those forced to evacuate. Park officials have closed access to the North Rim, a more isolated area that draws only about 10% of the Grand Canyon's millions of annual visitors. The park spans more than 1,900 square miles (4,920 square kilometers). Neither blaze had any containment, and La-Sky said it was too early for his team to offer a timeline. 'We're always at the mercy of Mother Nature,' he said. Complex fire management program Over the years, managers at the Grand Canyon have successfully used fire to benefit the landscape, with the park having what some experts say is an exemplary fire management program that has tapped both prescribed fire and wildfires to improve forest health. Andi Thode, a professor of fire ecology and management at Northern Arizona University and the lead at the Southwest Fire Science Consortium, said park managers have even re-burned some areas in multiple places over the years to create what she called 'one of the best jigsaw puzzles' on public land. She noted that fire behavior decreased significantly when the Dragon Bravo Fire burned into the footprint of a previously burned area. 'So creating that heterogeneity across the landscape, using fire is a really critical tool moving forward to be able to help in the future with these wildfire events that are happening at the worst time in the worst weather conditions with the driest fuels,' Thode said. The park's 2025 fire management plan notes the Grand Canyon's designation as a World Heritage Site, referencing cultural and natural resources, spiritual and inspirational qualities, recreational opportunities and other values. 'It is the Fire Management Program's mission to manage wildland fires to preserve, enhance and (where necessary) restore these values,' the plan reads. Those areas that have the most infrastructure and are among the most highly used by the public make up just over 1% of the park. According to the plan, managing wildfires for resource benefit objectives within these areas is not permitted and that the overall intent within these areas is to 'protect life and property in its natural setting.' The fire exclusion areas listed in the plan include the developed area of the North Rim. Aside from outlining policies for responding to wildfires and planning for prescribed fires, the document includes links to tools that fire managers can use for assessing risk. The lodge and surrounding cabins were among the more than 370 structures at the park that were considered high risk. Another 238 structures fall in the moderate risk category. The Park Service reiterated Tuesday that the safety of the public and firefighters come first. 'Firefighters are continuing to respond to this fire in the safest way possible putting their lives and the lives of the community, park visitors, and park employees ahead of buildings.' the agency said. ___
