The senators referenced the 2006 Warm Fire, another lightning-caused fire on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon that was initially allowed to burn as a wildland use fire. The Warm Fire ultimately destroyed 59,000 acres of land and nearly killed a thousand people.

A wildfire in tinder-dry forest destroyed dozens of buildings, prompting public outrage that it was left to burn for a week before firefighters tried to fully extinguish it.

Lightning started the Dragon Bravo Fire on July 4, 2025. The fire was burning in the ponderosa pine forest within the northern national park boundaries, consuming 5,000 acres. The entire North Rim of the Grand Canyon was closed. The fire had burned between 50 and 80 structures on the North Rim, according to park officials.

Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs has called for an independent investigation into the federal response management of a wildfire that caused numerous residents and workers to evacuate and destroyed a historic lodge.

Gov. Katie Hobbs (D-AZ) questioned the federal government’s handling of the fires burning the Grand Canyon, which have spread rapidly and destroyed dozens of buildings. Two wildfires, the White Sage Fire and the Dragon Bravo Fire,

The National Park Service is pushing back against members of Congress who accused the agency of allowing the Dragon Bravo Fire to spin out of control on the Grand Canyon’s North Rim.