The National Park Service is pushing back against politicians who accused the agency of allowing the Dragon Bravo Fire to spin out of control on the Grand Canyon’s North Rim.
The fire has so far burned an area nearly the size of Sedona and is not contained. About 600 people are working on the fire. Officials said Thursday its spread has slowed in some areas but remains unpredictable.
In an email, the agency's public affairs office wrote: "Claims that this fire was managed as a controlled or prescribed burn are false. All wildfires on NPS land are managed for suppression. In the case of the Dragon Bravo Fire, it exhibited low to moderate growth until July 11, when extreme weather conditions and a shift in wind overwhelmed containment lines and drove the fire toward NPS infrastructure. These rapidly evolving conditions — not any management strategy — were the primary cause of the fire’s expansion."
The Dragon Bravo Fire at the Grand Canyon’s North Rim is now the seventh largest fire in Arizona history, burning more than 130,000 acres.
Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Arizona, continued to question the Park Service’s strategy in allowing the lightning-sparked fire to burn before it exploded last weekend. He said the agency could be more transparent with how it made its decision.
"Well, it's false allegation that comes from the information that they were releasing," he said Thursday. "Maybe they're trying to play a little fast and loose but we know what happened. there was a [lightning] strike that started this fire and then the National Park Service decided to use this fire as at that point, a controlled burn. And it didn't work out."
"Now, anybody that's in Arizona, that's lived in Arizona for quite a while, would know that you shouldn't start a controlled burn in the middle of summer when it's so dry and also when there's potential winds. And that's just pure common sense, and they made a dumb mistake and they need to answer for that. But we have in some of the communications that that is exactly what they said that was happening. If they don't believe that's true, then they should come forward with the information and be very transparent but at this point it looks like they really messed up and they screwed northern Arizona in the process," Gallego said.
The Park Service credits firefighters and employees with safely evacuating 900 people from the north rim.
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The Dragon Bravo Fire burning along Highway 67 near the Grand Canyon on Aug. 1, 2025.
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Night operations on the Dragon Bravo Fire at the Grand Canyon's North Rim on Aug. 3, 2025.
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The Dragon Bravo Fire at the Grand Canyon seen at night with the Milky Way on July 28, 2025.
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The Dragon Bravo Fire on Thursday, July 31, 2025.
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A plume of smoke from the Dragon Bravo Fire near the Grand Canyon on Tuesday, July 29, 2025.
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Smoke from the Dragon Bravo Fire in the Kaibab National Forest on July 28, 2025.
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The Dragon Bravo Fire near the Grand Canyon on July 23, 2025.
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A firefighter mops up a fallen tree on the White Sage Fire in northern Arizona on Wednesday, July 23, 2025.
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The Grand Canyon Lodge on July 18, 2025. It was destroyed by the Dragon Bravo Fire earlier in the month.
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Crews fight the White Sage Fire in northern Arizona on Monday, July 21, 2025.
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The Grand Canyon Lodge on July 18, 2025. It was destroyed by the Dragon Bravo Fire earlier in the month.
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The Grand Canyon Lodge on July 18, 2025. It was destroyed by the Dragon Bravo Fire earlier in the month.
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A firefighter works against the White Sage Wildfire in northern Arizona on Sunday, July 20, 2025.
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A rainbow over the White Sage Fire in northern Arizona on Friday, July 18, 2025.
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A firefighter stands near smoldering debris and active flames amid the charred remains of a burned structure near the Grand Canyon Lodge on the North Rim on Sunday, July 13, 2025.
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Crews battle the White Sage Fire in northern Arizona on July 13, 2025.
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A smoke plume rises over the Grand Canyon on July 11, 2025.
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College students who worked at the Grand Canyon Lodge on the North Rim perform a "sing-away" for departing guests.
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The Grand Canyon Lodge in 2017.
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The Grand Canyon Lodge in 2019.
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The Grand Canyon Lodge in 2019.
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The Grand Canyon Lodge in 2019.
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The Grand Canyon Lodge in 2019.
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The Grand Canyon Lodge in 2019.
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The Grand Canyon Lodge in 2019.
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The Grand Canyon Lodge was built in 1936-37, according to the National Park Service.
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The Grand Canyon Lodge on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, pictured here in May 2008.
Michael Quinn/U.S. National Park Service
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Fire crews battle the White Sage Fire about 15 miles southwest of Fredonia, Arizona.
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Fire crews battle the White Sage Fire about 15 miles southwest of Fredonia, Arizona.
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Fire crews battle the White Sage Fire about 15 miles southwest of Fredonia, Arizona.
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Crews battled the White Sage Fire in northern Arizona on Friday, July 11, 2025.
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The White Sage Fire burning near the Grand Canyon on Thursday, July 10, 2025.
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Crews fight the White Sage Fire in northern Arizona on Wednesday, July 16, 2025.
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Crews work to contain the White Sage Fire in northern Arizona on Saturday, July 19, 2025.
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Crews focused on suppression repair spread seeds to help minimize erosion — which can hinder regrowth and water absorption — in the area burned by the White Sage Fire.
Sean Mcnearney/White Sage Fire
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The Rio Grande Hand Crew fighting the Dragon Bravo Fire near the Grand Canyon on July 31, 2025.
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