By Andrew Hay
(Reuters) -A wildfire has destroyed a historic lodge and dozens of other structures on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon in Arizona, raising questions over the National Park Service’s decision not to aggressively fight the fire straight away.
The limestone and timber Grand Canyon Lodge was gutted by flames, along with up to 80 other structures including cabins, park administrative buildings and visitor facilities.
The North Rim of the park will remain closed for the rest of the 2025 season and inner canyon trails and campgrounds are closed until further notice, the National Park Service said. The South Rim of the park remains open to visitors.
Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs demanded an independent investigation into the federal government’s handling of the fire, which was sparked by lightning on July 4.
The fire was initially managed with a “confine and contain” strategy, firefighters creating containment lines and preparing to carry out controlled burns to protect the lodge, first opened in 1928, and other buildings, according to the U.S. government InciWeb fire site.
Firefighters switched to a “full suppression” strategy after strong northwest wind gusts caused the blaze to grow rapidly on July 11, the site said.
In an X post on Sunday, Hobbs said the federal government chose to manage the fire as a “controlled burn during the driest, hottest part of the Arizona summer.”
“Arizonans deserve answers for how this fire was allowed to decimate the Grand Canyon National Park,” Hobbs wrote.
The Department of the Interior, which oversees the National Park Service, said federal firefighters made decisions based on real-time data, local conditions and fire science.
“The allegation that this fire was managed as a controlled burn is not at all accurate and our wildland fire experts certainly know the difference,” Interior Department spokesperson Elizabeth Peace said in a statement.
The so-called Dragon Bravo blaze has grown to over 5,700 acres (2,306 hectares) and is 0% contained.
It is dwarfed in size by the White Sage Fire around 35 miles (56 km) to the north that has scorched over 49,000 acres (19,829 hectares) and is also 0% contained.
(Reporting by Andrew Hay; Editing by Sandra Maler)
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