Arizona governor tours wildfire destruction along Grand Canyon's North Rim

Source: AP

Updated 11:09 PM EDT, July 19, 2025


GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. (AP) — Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs toured the destruction left by a wildfire along the Grand Canyon’s North Rim, on Saturday, surveying what she described as devastating damage. The governor, who has called for an investigation into how the blaze was handled, sought to gather information ahead of meetings with federal officials next week, looked intently out the window as the Black Hawk helicopter she was riding snaked over the Grand Canyon.

White smoke emerged from the North Rim, and most of the Grand Canyon Lodge was reduced to a bare skeleton, though some of the building appeared intact from overhead. Some surrounding trees were no more than charred toothpicks on the ashen land, and whiffs of smoky air passed through the helicopter.

The wildfire was sparked by a lightning strike July 4. Four days later the National Park Service said it was being allowed to burn as part of a “confine and contain” strategy that the Grand Canyon National Park has leaned on for decades to clear dense vegetation, minimize future risk and make the ecosystem more resilient.

But a week after ignition, blustery winds, hot temperatures and lower humidity quickly intensified the flames, prompting officials to shift to aggressive suppression and order evacuations. The blaze has charred more than 18 square miles (46 square kilometers), and as of Saturday it was 8% contained, according to fire information officer Stefan La-Sky.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/grand-canyon-fire-gov-katie-hobbs-562be2227564d286e472b3c76d8a4bdf