Dragon Bravo Fire in Grand Canyon 100% contained ahead of North Rim reopening
The Dragon Bravo Fire, which has burned over 145,000 acres, is the 10th-largest wildfire on record in Arizona, according to local reports.
FILE: Dragon Bravo Fire becomes a megafire as acreage passses 100,000
The Dragon Bravo Fire burning in the Grand Canyon in Arizona has burned more than 100,000 acres since it began on July 4. The fire is 9% contained, but continues burning throughout the North RIm of the Grand Canyon.
GRAND CANYON, Ariz. – The Dragon Bravo Fire, a wildfire that had raged in Grand Canyon National Park for nearly three months, is finally contained, officials announced on Monday.
The Dragon Bravo Fire began July 4, when lightning ignited sparks in the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. Since then, the wildfire has burned over 145,000 acres, or over 200 square miles, and damaged or destroyed nearly half of all North Rim structures.
Officials said the wildfire is no longer at risk of spreading. However, some smoke may still be visible as unburned fuels deep inside the fire perimeter continues to burn.
View from the Ken Patrick Trail near Point Imperial on Sept. 20, 2025.
(NPS Photo / A. Gibson / FOX Weather)
This containment comes just ahead of the partial reopening of the North Rim of the Grand Canyon on Oct. 1, over two months after it had shuttered due to the Dragon Bravo Fire, along with a second wildfire burning at the time, the White Sage Fire.
GRAND CANYON NORTH RIM BEGINS TO REOPEN AFTER DRAGON BRAVO FIRE DESTRUCTION
Which areas on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon will be open
Select areas reopened in the North Rim include Highway 67 to the W1 road, along with Cape Royal Road.
Officials said this gives the public access to Point Imperial, the northernmost point in the park and the highest point on the rim of the Grand Canyon, and Cape Royal, one of the only spots on the North Rim with views of the Colorado River. The reopened areas will be open from sunrise to sunset, as overnight use will be prohibited.
FILE: Cape Royal view.
(NPS / C. Dubin / FOX Weather)
Other areas that will reopen are Fire Point and Swamp Ridge campsites, officials added. These are the only reopened areas on the North Rim where overnight use will be permitted.
The open areas will be accessible through Nov. 30, or when the park sees its first major snowfall – whichever happens first.
All other parts of the North Rim will remain closed indefinitely due to safety concerns and recovery efforts following the Dragon Bravo Fire.
This includes the North Kaibab Trail, which is the most difficult of the major inner canyon trails at Grand Canyon National Park, the NPS said. It experienced extensive damage from the wildfire and now has rockfalls along the upper section of the trail.
Advice for North Rim park visitors
In this handout image provided by Grand Canyon National Park, The Dragon Bravo Fire is seen at Grand Canyon National Park on July 11, 2025.
(Grand Canyon National Park via Getty Images / Getty Images)
National Park Service officials asked park visitors to be careful when venturing into the newly reopened areas of the park, as dead standing trees, the potential for flash flooding and other hazards remain.
They also stressed the need to be self-sufficient when visiting the park, as the reopened areas have no power, running water, cell service or visitor services. Because of this, visitors must bring their own food, water and supplies.
Visitors should also prepare their vehicles, which should be no longer than 22 feet, and fill up their tanks, as no fuel is available in the park, according to the NPS. Additionally, drivers should be vigilant of the weather and road conditions this time of year, as snow and icy roads are possible.
Officials also asked visitors to mind the crews that are actively working on recovery efforts within the park.
The Department of the Interior (DOI) Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) Team arrived at the North Rim of the Park to begin assessing post-fire impacts from the Dragon Bravo Fire.
(Dragon Bravo Fire Damage Assessment / FOX Weather)
The Dragon Bravo Fire is the 10th-largest wildfire on record in Arizona, according to FOX 10 Phoenix. It destroyed structures, such as the historic Grand Canyon Lodge, in Grand Canyon National Park.
In addition to the partial reopening of the Grand Canyon, the containment of the Dragon Bravo Fire is allowing for more areas of the Kaibab National Forest to reopen.
More than 25,000 additional acres of forest north of the Grand Canyon National Park boundary between Saddle Mountain Wilderness and Highway 67 will now be accessible to the public in Kaibab National Forest.