A lightning strike on 4 July ignited the Dragon Bravo Fire on the Grand Canyon’s North Rim. Fanned by unseasonably strong winds, the blaze has grown to about 11,000 acres—roughly 4,450 hectares—making it the eighth-largest wildfire to affect a U.S. national park since 2021. Flames leveled the 1930s-era Grand Canyon Lodge, the visitor center and around 70 other buildings. Park authorities evacuated some 500 visitors by helicopter and closed the North Rim for the remainder of the season. Nearly 1,000 firefighters are working to contain the Dragon Bravo and neighboring White Sage fires amid triple-digit temperatures and shifting winds. Containment remains at zero, with crews reinforcing lines, protecting the Roaring Springs pumphouse and using aerial tankers to slow the fire’s advance along the canyon rim. The fire’s rapid escalation has drawn political scrutiny. Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs has ordered an independent review of the National Park Service’s initial decision to monitor the lightning-sparked blaze rather than suppress it. U.S. Senators Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego have asked the Interior Department to explain the strategy, saying the approach jeopardized public safety and led to the loss of the historic lodge.