A fire near the Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona has destroyed dozens of structures, including the historic Grand Canyon Lodge and a water treatment facility, which caused a chlorine gas leak that forced firefighters to evacuate.
The Dragon Bravo Fire in the North Rim of the Grand Canyon “exhibited extreme and volatile fire behavior” overnight and expanded to about 5,000 acres, fire managers said Sunday. It was fueled by up to 40 mph wind gusts but firefighters were able to slow the fire’s progression using aerial drops of flame retardant.
Approximately 50 to 80 structures have been lost, including the National Park Service administrative buildings and visitor facilities. Photos posted to social media by national park officials on Sunday showed structures near the Grand Canyon Lodge — the only lodging inside the park at the North Rim — burned to the ground.
A firefighter stands near smoldering debris and active flames amid the charred remains of a burned structure near the Grand Canyon Lodge. The Grand Canyon National Park posted the photo on Facebook on Sunday, July 14, 2025.
National Parks Service
The Grand Canyon Lodge was often the first prominent feature that visitors saw, even before viewing the canyon. A highway ends at the lodge, which was known for its sloped roof, huge ponderosa beams and massive limestone facade.
Aramark, the company that operated the lodge, said all employees and guests were safely evacuated.
“As stewards of some our country’s most beloved national treasures, we are devastated by the loss,” said spokesperson Debbie Albert.
An original lodge burned down from a kitchen fire in 1932, four years after construction was completed, according to the Grand Canyon Historical Society. The redesigned lodge, using the original stonework, opened in 1937.
A general view of the front entrance of the Grand Canyon Lodge in Arizona, June 25, 2007.
National Park Service/Michael Quinn/Handout via REUTERS
Thomas Sulpizio, president of the historical society, said the lodge contained some valuable archives that he wasn’t sure were saved.
The lobby also contained a famous 600-pound bronze statue of a donkey named “Brighty the Burro.”
Park Superintendent Ed Keable told park residents, staff and others in a meeting Sunday morning that the visitor center, the gas station, a waste water treatment plant, an administrative building and some employee housing were among the 50 to 80 structures lost. “Numerous” historic cabins in the area also were destroyed, the park said.
A firefighter stands near smoldering debris and active flames amid the charred remains of burned structures near the Grand Canyon Lodge.
National Parks Service
Fire personnel had to evacuate from critical zones, officials said, as “the use of aerial retardant was not feasible” due to the chlorine gas leak, the National Park Service said.
Chlorine gas is heavier than air, meaning it can settle into lower elevations such as the inner canyon and pose a health risk to fire personnel and hikers, according to NPS.
Parts of the national park are closed, and all Colorado River trips have been instructed to bypass Phantom Ranch, which is over 200 miles south of the Dragon Bravo Fire.
A firefighter and emergency vehicle are positioned in front of the Dragon Bravo Fire, July 10, 2025, with intense flames and thick smoke on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.
NPS Photo/Nick Mann
No injuries or loss of life have been reported, fire managers said.
Meanwhile, the White Sage Fire located in Kaibab National Forest has forced hundreds to evacuate as it doubled in size on Sunday. It has scorched over 40,000 acres and hasn’t been contained, according to authorities.
Fire lines on the White Sage Fire were holding, officials said Sunday.
Both fires in Arizona are believed to have been started by lightning, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
Smoke plume over the Grand Canyon on July 11, 2025.
Courtesy: M. Quinn/National Parks Service
Canadian wildfires’ smoke blankets the Upper Midwest
An intensifying wildfire season also sees the return of Canadian wildfire smoke into the U.S. Much of the Upper Midwest was dealing with swaths of unhealthy air because of drifting smoke.
Most of Minnesota and parts of Montana, North Dakota and Wisconsin were ranked “unhealthy” for air quality on a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency map. Part of North Dakota that is home to Theodore Roosevelt National Park and other tourist attractions was ranked “very unhealthy,” with some of the worst air quality in the nation.
This photo taken by Joel Crane shows smoky skies on Friday, July 11, 2025, near Medora, North Dakota.
Joel Crane / AP
In Minnesota, “If you have a nice pork loin you can hang from a tree, it’ll turn into ham,” quipped Al Chirpich, owner of the Hideaway Resort near Detroit Lakes, where people come to enjoy tree-lined Island Lake for fishing and other water activities.
The conditions started Friday, dragging smoke from the Canadian wildfires down to the surface, said National Weather Service Meteorologist Jennifer Ritterling, in Grand Forks. Periods of bad air quality are expected to last through the weekend in the region, she said.
Limiting time outdoors, keeping windows closed and running air purifiers are good ideas for people with lung conditions such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and even healthy people, Ritterling said.
“Our summers up here are fairly short and so everyone wants to get out and enjoy them, and it’s a little frustrating when there’s this smoke in the air,” she said.
Meanwhile, all of Manitoba is under a state of emergency because of the wildfires, which have led to 12,600 people evacuating their homes in the Canadian province. The fires in the central province have burned over 3,861 square miles, the most land burned in 30 years of electronic record-keeping.
Under 1,000 people have evacuated their homes in Saskatchewan, where wildfires also continue to burn.
National Weather Service warns of smoke, dangerous heat
Forecasters and national Arizona parks officials have been issuing warnings over dangerous weather conditions in the last few days as temperatures reach over 110 degrees.
“Not only is there dangerous heat at the lower levels of the Grand Canyon, but lots of smoke and high fire danger,” NWS Flagstaff said on social media on Saturday. “Don’t mess around.”
A 67-year-old Texas man died while hiking in the Grand Canyon, the National Park Service said Wednesday.
The White Sage Fire also started Wednesday, and the Dragon Bravo Fire began on July 4, according to authorities.
Firefighters put flame retardant on the White Sage Fire on July 10, 2025.
Wildfire.gov
More than 200 firefighters and support personnel worked to halt the uncontained fire Saturday as it burned across a high-altitude plateau between the communities of Lonesome, White Sage and Jacob Lake.
In Colorado, Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park was closed because of a 4.4-square-mile wildfire burning on the South Rim of the park, known for its dramatic, steep cliffs. A few miles from the fire, an evacuation was ordered for the community of Bostwick Park, and a nearby highway was also shut.
The fires in and near both national parks led to evacuations of hundreds of people.
Chirpich, the Minnesota resort owner, said he has plans to go to Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park on Thursday and is “a bit pensive about how that’s going to be there.”
“I’m going to leave one smokehouse for another, I guess,” he said.
contributed to this report.
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