by Ethan Faverino | Jul 15, 2025 | News
By Ethan Faverino |
The Dragon Bravo Fire, raging across the North Rim of the Grand Canyon National Park, has escalated quickly, destroying the historic Grand Canyon Lodge and an estimated 50-80 structures including National Park Service administrative buildings and visitor centers.
Around 3:30 p.m. on July 12, 2025, the North Rim water treatment facility caught fire, resulting in a release of chlorine gas.
Chlorine gas, which is heavier than air, settled into lower elevations like the inner canyon. This prompted the immediate evacuation of all firefighters, hikers, and staff from the North Rim and inner canyon areas.
All river trips were instructed to bypass the Phantom Ranch to avoid risk exposure.
By 10:30 p.m. the fire intensified, driven by constant winds of 20-40 mph, joined with hot temperature and low humidity.
Despite efforts by firefighters, including aerial bucket drops near the Grand Canyon Lodge and Transept Trail, the chlorine gas leak prevented the use of aerial retardants in critical areas, hindering containment efforts.
Firefighters worked through the night under dangerous conditions to slow the fire’s spread but lost the Grand Canyon Lodge and other significant structures.
As of July 13, fire managers initiated retardant drops on the east side of the developed area, focusing on the Roaring Springs drainage, as part of an aggressive full-suppression strategy.
The fire remains highly active, fueled by persistent winds and dry conditions.
Preliminary damage assessments confirm the destruction of 50-80 structures, but no injuries or fatalities have been reported, and all staff and residents were safely evacuated prior to the fire’s escalation.
The North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park will remain closed to all visitors for the remainder of the 2025 season. The following inner areas are also closed until further notice:
- North Kaibab Trail
- South Kaibab Trial
- Bright Angel Trail below Havasupai Gardens
- Phantom Ranch
- All associated campgrounds
Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Matthew Holloway | Feb 21, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
In a bipartisan effort between Republican Congressman Eli Crane (AZ) and Democrat Congressman Mike Levin (CA), the “Hire Veterans Act” was reintroduced to the U.S. House of Representatives. If enacted, the bill would employ U.S. military veterans in vacant, critical roles within the U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, and Bureau of Land Management.
According to Crane, all three of the federal land management agencies have been suffering from serious staffing shortages that have negatively impacted their operational effectiveness. In particular, both Congressmen cited the U.S. Forest Service facing an ongoing struggle to recruit and train staff in multiple critical roles with what they referred to as “a noticeable gap in the experience and skill sets of candidates, affecting their capacity to address increasing wildfire threats.”
“As a 13-year veteran of the U.S. Navy, I’m all too familiar with the obstacles servicemen and women face when transitioning to civilian life. I’m also well-aware of the challenges our federal land management agencies currently face, particularly in filling vacancies for firefighters, park rangers, and foresters,” said Crane in a press release.
As reported by the New York Times, 3,400 employees from the U.S. Forest Service were terminated by the Trump Administration on Thursday, amounting to approximately 10% of the service’s workforce. Many of the newer employees would have been hired under the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion regimen of the Biden Administration.
“With this bill, Congress has the opportunity to both streamline the employment process for veterans AND better ensure that our natural resources are protected for future generations. I’m grateful to be able to introduce this legislation that serves our veterans while furthering the responsible stewardship of U.S. land,” Crane added.
“Our veterans sacrifice so much for our nation. We have an obligation to ensure that veterans returning to civilian life can get jobs and support their families,” said Rep. Levin. “I’m glad to be partnering with Rep. Crane on our bipartisan bill to expand opportunities for veterans and help connect them to jobs in federal land management agencies. I look forward to working with my colleagues to advance this important legislation.”
According to a press release from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which manages the Forest Service, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins issued a memorandum to rescind all Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) programs and celebrations. Instead, the USDA will reprioritize unity, equality, meritocracy, and color-blind policies.
Rollins said in her opening remarks at the USDA, “We will neither commemorate nor celebrate our immutable characteristics, neither among ourselves nor among Americans at large. We will instead celebrate the things that make us American: merit, faith, and liberty first among them. All Americans deserve equal dignity, and at this Department they will receive it. On this precipice of the 250th anniversary of our Revolution, we will rededicate ourselves to ‘the proposition that all men are created equal.’”
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
