ISTANBUL

Arizona’s top officials are pressing the US Department of the Interior for an explanation after a wildfire swept across the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park, destroying dozens of structures, including the historic Grand Canyon Lodge, press reports said on Tuesday.

In a letter sent Monday to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Democratic Sens. Ruben Gallego and Mark Kelly raised concerns over the early federal response to the Dragon Bravo Fire, which ignited on July 4 following a lightning strike and has since grown to more than 5,700 acres, according to the US Forest Service.

According to NBC News, the senators cited reports indicating the National Park Service initially opted to manage the blaze as a controlled burn before shifting strategy as strong winds caused the fire to breach containment lines.

“There are many questions over the initial decision to treat this fire as a controlled burn and subsequent decisions on how to respond,” the letter reads.

“We are concerned that treatment and response decisions may have affected the spread of fire in northern Arizona.”

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs also criticized the response, saying the fire was managed as a prescribed burn during one of the hottest and driest periods of the year.

“An incident of this magnitude demands intense oversight and scrutiny into the federal government’s emergency response,” she said in a post on X.

Hobbs called for an independent investigation into how the fire was handled and a full report on the decisions that preceded its rapid spread.

The National Park Service on Monday announced the closure of the North Rim for the remainder of the 2025 season due to fire damage. Key routes, including the South Kaibab Trail, North Kaibab Trail and access to Phantom Ranch, were also closed indefinitely.