(Los Angeles) The Grand Canyon, among the most famous American Western Natural Parks in the world, has been preying an out of control fire for a month which has already ravaged nearly 50,000 hectares and forces the authorities to close its northern ultra -tourist shore.
The fires, triggered by lightning on July 4-National Day in the United States-are fought day and night, on earth and in the air, by more than a thousand firefighters.
“Despite a humidity at a very low rate of 4 %, (firefighters) managed to control the growth of the fire,” the command of soldiers in the state of Arizona on Monday.
According to the government site Inciweb, which monitors fires throughout the country, the “Dragon Bravo Fire”, described as “megafeu”, is only contained 13 % and risks extending in the coming days due to very dry and very hot time in Arizona.
It is already the biggest fire of the year in the United States with more than 49,700 hectares who left for smoke on Monday.
Photo Jon Gambrell, Associated Press Archives
Smoke has risen since the fire “Dragon Bravo Fire” at the Grand Canyon, seen since Mather Point near Grand Canyon Village, on July 28, 2025.
The Grand Canyon park, visited each year by some 4.5 million American and foreign tourists, had closed its north bank in mid-July (North Rim) for the rest of the season, that is to say until October 15.
The southern shore (South Rim) of the Grand Canyon, preferred by the vast majority of visitors, remains, still accessible.
The park authorities, where an impressive smoke column overlooks the huge glowing throat dug by the Colorado river, had been evacuated in July for a half million tourists and employees for a month.
Photo Joe Ronde, Associated Press Archives
A view of the vestiges of the Grand Canyon Lodge during the air visit to the Arizona governor, Katie Hobbs, on July 19, 2025.
“Dragon Bravo Fire” did not make any victim but destroyed according to the authorities “between 50 and 80 infrastructures” on the north bank, including the only hotel in the area, Grand Canyon Lodge, a building from the 1930s with a breathtaking view of the huge natural site.
The management of fires is this year a subject that is all the more sensitive in the Western American since President Donald Trump has imposed important budget cuts and layoffs on the agency responsible for forests, the agency responsible for oceanic and atmospheric observation (NOAA) and FEMA, the Federal Catastrophe Management Agency.
