Two Democratic senators representing Arizona are demanding answers from the U.S. Department of the Interior about allowing an ongoing wildfire at Grand Canyon National Park to burn for several days before trying to stop it.
The Dragon Bravo Fire, which is believed to have been caused by a lightning strike on July 4, has spread over 5,700 acres and destroyed about 80 structures, including the historic Grand Canyon Lodge located at the park's North Rim. No injuries have been reported.
As of Monday, the fire was still burning out of control, and officials said the North Rim of the Grand Canyon would be closed for the rest of this year as a result.
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U.S. Senators Ruben Gallego and Mark Kelly sent a letter on Monday addressed to U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum with a list of the following questions they want answered by Aug. 10 in regards to the National Park Service's fire response:
- Please provide an analysis of what factors went into the decision to treat this fire as a controlled burn. Were the recent heat trends and dryness of the area taken into account?
- Given the history of challenges with controlled burns in Northern Arizona, how does the Department plan to avoid similar fire spread in the future?
- How does the Department plan to track wildfire decision-making throughout the Administration’s consolidation of the wildland fire workforce with the U.S. Forest Service?
- What resources has the Department surged to respond to the fire since it escaped containment? Were the resources available and stationed at the North Rim, or were they stationed elsewhere? Are there resources needed that are not currently available?
The senators pointed out that the initial response from the National Park Service was to treat it as a controlled burn, but strong wind gusts, hot temperatures and lower humidity allowed the fire to jump containment and explode in size.
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs also called for a federal investigation into the park service’s handling of the fire in a post to her social media on Sunday.
"As discussed during your confirmation process, the Grand Canyon is Arizona’s crown jewel. The Dragon Bravo fire has already devastated this natural and cultural treasure, and the fire continues to spread," the senators wrote in the letter. "As the Department of Interior is poised to take on even more wildfire response responsibility under President Trump’s wildfire consolidation executive order, our constituents deserve to know that the best wildfire response decisions are being made."
