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Jul 21, 2025  |  
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Annabella Rosciglione


NextImg:Katie Hobbs to travel to DC after calling for investigation into Grand Canyon fire containment - Washington Examiner

Gov. Katie Hobbs (D-AZ) will travel to Washington, D.C., next week following devastating fires in the Grand Canyon.

She is expected to meet with U.S. Forest Service leaders and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum. The Dragon Bravo fire started on July 4 from a lightning strike, and federal fire management allowed for a controlled burn approach to contain the fire.

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The governor went on an aerial tour of the devastation Sunday. 

“It’s so devastating,” Hobbs said after landing, according to the Arizona Republic. “As a lifelong Arizonan, it’s just a reminder of the shared stewardship we have of this land and this iconic treasure of the Grand Canyon. We’re going to do everything we can to help support managing this fire and then get to rebuilding.”

Gov. Katie Hobbs (D-AZ) looks out of a helicopter window during her aerial tour of wildfire damage along the Grand Canyon’s North Rim, Arizona, Saturday, July 19, 2025. (Joe Rondone/The Arizona Republic via AP, Pool)

Hobbs previously called for an independent investigation into the decision-making at the federal level that resulted in devastation.

“This is federal jurisdiction, but fire doesn’t know that boundary, and we all have to work together,” Hobbs said after the tour.

“Seeing the complexity that goes into managing an incident like this is helpful, and certainly, I feel good about going back to Arizonans and saying, ‘Look, everyone’s concerned about making sure that we’re protecting as much as possible, and that we can rebuild, because the Great Canyon is so important to our state,'” Hobbs said.

The fire has so far claimed the historic Grand Canyon Lodge, which was the only lodging inside the park at the North Rim, and dozens of other buildings. The North Rim is closed for the remainder of the season.

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Sens. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) and Mark Kelly (D-AZ) have also questioned the federal government’s fire control strategy. In a letter to Burgum, they noted that “the Grand Canyon is Arizona’s crown jewel.”

“It has been reported that National Parks Service officials initially decided to monitor the fire as a controlled burn, but changed their approach as strong winds allowed the fire to jump multiple containment features,” the senators wrote in the letter. “There are many questions over the initial decision to treat this fire as a controlled burn and subsequent decisions on how to respond.”