Dragon Bravo Fire is now 10th largest wildfire in Arizona’s history

FREDONIA, Ariz. – A fire that continues to burn near the Grand Canyon is now one of the biggest wildfires in Arizona’s history.

The backstory:

The Dragon Bravo Fire was sparked by lightning on July 4, and was initially managed as a controlled burn before dry and windy conditions fanned the flames, prompting evacuations at the Grand Canyon’s North Rim.

Arizona leaders, including Gov. Katie Hobbs, have been critical of how the fire was managed.

By the numbers:

As of July 31, the fire has burned 105,415 acres, according to Watch Duty. Last week, crews managed to contain about 26% of the fire, but since then, historically dry conditions have dropped containment to 9%.

At least 70 structures have been destroyed in the fire, including a historic Grand Canyon lodge. The North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park is closed for the rest of the year.

Over 1,000 personnel are assigned to the fire.

Southbound State Route 67 remains closed south of Jacob Lake due to the fire.

Dig deeper:

The fire is now the 10th largest wildfire ever recorded in Arizona. The largest wildfire in the state’s history, the Wallow Fire, burned more than a half million acres near Alpine in 2011.

What they’re saying:

“Obviously, we’re dealing with some historic conditions here on the Dragon Bravo. For this kind of fire growth to occur this time of year is very rare,” officials said during a news conference on July 30. “One of our values at risk obviously is the Kaibab Lodge, kind of right here in the middle, and then we’ve got the House Rock wildlife area. Again, a big part of the fire is on the Kaibab National Forest, basically from about here north, and then this part of the fire is on the Grand Canyon National Park.”