GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, AZ (AZFamily) — Many homes, businesses, and treasured land around the Grand Canyon North Rim are being threatened by the Dragon Bravo and White Sage fires. Both are still at zero containment.
There are not a lot of people who live in the North Rim area, but there are a few businesses. Most of the owners are holding their breath, as firefighters are holding the line.
“We’re 4 miles outside the park entrance,” said Larry Innes. He runs the century-old Kaibab Lodge and North Rim Country Store just outside the North Rim. “I’ve had it five years, operated it, and I bought the store across the street about four months ago,” he said.
For days, he’s been keeping a close eye on the horizon. “We’re kind of in the middle of both these fires and it was pretty devastating,” he shared.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the Dragon Bravo and White Sage Fires had already burned more than 60,000 acres. Luckily, Innes said his businesses are still safe.
“It’s quite a ways. The one fire I think is about 20 miles away from us. The other one is probably 30 miles from us,” Innes said in reference to both wildfires. The wildfires are about 30 miles apart, making it unlikely they would join together.
Kaibab Lodge has been offering support to firefighters, providing meals and a temporary base. “We have put together in the last six days or five days, 3,000 meals for firefighters,” Innes said.
Further east, another lodge owner is concerned. “We purchased Cliff Dwellers Lodge, which is a hotel, restaurant, gas station, bar convenience store,” said owner Terry Gunn.
He said being so close to where the road closes is affecting his business. “We’re on the road that connects the North Rim to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon and the road is closed right at our lodge,” Gunn explained.
His concern isn’t just for his business, but for how these fires are being handled.
“That fire jumps House (Rock Valley) and gets up on top of the Paria Plateau and it could be absolutely devastating. That’s another 112,000 acres and that’s inaccessible. So if they don’t draw the line at House Rock Valley and stop this fire, it could be it could have absolutely terrible consequences,” Gunn explained.
Both fires were initially ignited by lightning. While the Dragon Bravo was initially managed “for resource objectives, park officials said, the fire rapidly spread. “I think that the National Park Service and many of the government agencies need to review how they are treating these fires when they first start. This was a managed burn at the absolute worst possible time,” said Gunn.
As flames threaten popular recreation sites and small businesses that rely on them, each shift in wind has people holding their breath. “My greatest hope is for what rises out of the ashes,” Gunn said.
Innes feels similarly. “We’ll get through it. We’re just trying to take things a day at a time,” he said.
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