A massive wildfire burning across the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona has grown to about 472 square kilometres, officials said on Sunday, as firefighters struggled to contain the blaze amid dry conditions and high winds.
The Dragon Bravo Fire, sparked by a lightning strike on July 4, remains just 12% contained despite efforts by more than 1,200 personnel backed by helicopters and air tankers, according to the U.S. interagency wildfire tracking site.
Authorities said over 900 people, including staff and 54 trail mules, have been safely evacuated from the area. Fire crews are using forest roads, canyon walls, and past burn scars to control the fire, which has been burning since early July.
Meteorologists expect monsoon moisture to move into northern Arizona by midweek, which could raise humidity levels and bring some relief in the form of showers, according to a fire weather briefing.
The fire intensified quickly after initially smoldering for days. By July 10, around 500 visitors had been evacuated. Two days later, high winds pushed flames into the lodge district, destroying the Grand Canyon Lodge — built in the 1920s — along with its stone dining room, dozens of pine cabins, and utility buildings, the National Park Service said.
By the end of July, the blaze had become one of Arizona’s 10 largest wildfires on record.
Officials warned that full containment may take weeks, depending on weather and fuel conditions.
The 2025 U.S. wildfire season is tracking above average. As of late July, more than 41,000 wildfires had burned nearly 3 million acres nationwide, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.
Other major blazes include a 95,000-acre fire in Oregon, California’s Madre Fire at over 80,000 acres, and Arizona’s White Sage Fire, which has scorched about 58,000 acres.
(with agency input)