Wildfire Destroys Grand Canyon Lodge, Park’s North Ridge Closed for Season

According to the park’s superintendent, 50 to 80 structures have been lost due to the Dragon Bravo Fire.

This undated photo provided by the National Park Service shows Grand Canyon Lodge on the North Rim of Grand Canyon, Ariz. Michael Quinn/National Park Service via AP

Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona closed its North Rim area for the rest of the 2025 season after the Dragon Bravo Fire destroyed the Grand Canyon Lodge and scores of other structures in the area.

“Fire managers have confirmed the loss of the Grand Canyon Lodge and numerous historic cabins in the developed area,” the National Park Service said on social media on July 13, adding that the damage occurred during a rapid 500-acre expansion of the wildfire on July 12.

“No injuries or loss of life have been reported, and all staff and residents were successfully evacuated prior to the fire’s escalation.”

The closure announcement came on the morning of July 14, along with an extreme heat warning declaring 115 degrees Fahrenheit was registered inside the canyon, along with smoke.

The Grand Canyon Lodge was the only lodging inside the park at the North Rim and was often the first prominent feature visitors saw, positioned at the end point of the highway. Across its lobby, down some stairs, visitors would enter the “sun room” and get their first view of the Grand Canyon through its large windows.

That lodge, the visitors center, the gas station, an administrative building, and some employee housing were just some of the 50 to 80 structures lost to the fire, park superintendent Ed Keable told residents, staff, and others in a meeting Sunday morning. Several “historic” cabins in the area were also destroyed, according to the park.

Firefighters also confirmed that the North Rim water treatment facility caught fire, resulting in the release of chlorine gas, causing further closures of trails and campgrounds related to areas of the inner canyon, including the North Kaibab Trail, Phantom Ranch, and the South Kaibab Trail.

“Chlorine gas is heavier than air and can quickly settle into lower elevations such as the inner canyon, posing a health risk,” the National Park Service explained on July 13. ”Due to the risk of exposure, park authorities immediately evacuated firefighters from the North Rim and hikers from the inner canyon, and closed access to specific areas within the inner canyon. All river trips were instructed to bypass Phantom Ranch.”

The service noted that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s HYSPLIT map, which is used to predict the spread of smoke or gas within an area where it is released, did not indicate that the chlorine gas posed a critical threat to nearby communities. Authorities warned that residents of nearby Marble County, Lees Ferry, and parts of the Navajo Nation may smell chlorine in the near future.

Two wildfires continue to burn at or near the North Rim area of the park: the Dragon Bravo Fire, which impacted the structures, and the White Sage Fire.

The Dragon Bravo Fire was started by lightning on July 4 and was initially managed by authorities who executed a “confine and contain” strategy by clearing fuel sources. However, it rapidly grew due to persistent hot temperatures, low humidity, and strong wind gusts, according to fire officials. It is now 7.8 square miles, and grew 500 acres in the span of 24 hours.

Around 500 visitors were successfully evacuated from the North Ridge on July 10 as smoke from the nearby fires began to settle into the canyon.

As of July 13, no injuries from the Grand Canyon National Park had been reported.

Phantom Ranch, North Kaibab Trail, and South Kaibab Trail remained closed on July 14 due to the chlorine gas.

The park’s South Rim area remains open and operational.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.