Arizona's governor has demanded an investigation into why a wildfire that destroyed a historic lodge and dozens of other structures on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon was allowed to burn for a week before federal firefighters tried to put it out.
The wind-driven wildfire burned down the Grand Canyon Lodge late on Saturday night or in the early hours of Sunday, according to Stefan La-Sky, a spokesperson for the team fighting the blaze.
The lightning-sparked fire, which began on July 4, has destroyed up to 80 other structures including cabins, park administrative buildings and visitor facilities, according to the National Park Service, which runs the Grand Canyon National Park.
In a post on X on Sunday night, Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs demanded an independent enquiry into why the National Park Service carried out what she called a "controlled burn during the driest, hottest part of the Arizona summer."
The fire was initially managed with a "confine and contain" strategy, firefighters creating containment lines to protect the lodge, first opened in 1928, according to the U.S. government InciWeb fire site.
"The fire is being allowed to fulfill its natural role within a defined area," the Grand Canyon National Park wrote July 9 on its Facebook page, listing reduction of fuels and stimulation of new plant growth as benefits.
Firefighters switched to a "full suppression" strategy after strong northwest wind gusts uncommon to the area caused the blaze to grow rapidly and jump multiple containment features on July 11, the InciWeb site said.
"Arizonans deserve answers for how this fire was allowed to decimate the Grand Canyon National Park," Hobbs wrote in an X post on Sunday.
The Department of the Interior, which oversees the National Park Service, said federal firefighters made decisions based on real-time data, local conditions and fire science.
"The allegation that this fire was managed as a controlled burn is not at all accurate and our wildland fire experts certainly know the difference," Interior Department spokesperson Elizabeth Peace said in a statement.
The North Rim of the park will remain closed for the rest of the 2025 season and inner canyon trails and campgrounds are closed until further notice, the National Park Service said. The South Rim of the park remains open to visitors.