Arizona Governor Calls for Federal Probe Into Grand Canyon Wildfire Response

Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, criticized the decision to initially treat the fire, which came during peak summer heat, as a controlled burn.

A small native stone structure originally known as "the Lookout" was built on the canyon rim in the vicinity of Bright Angel Lodge in 1914. Grand Canyon National Park/CC BY 2.0

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs is calling for an independent investigation into the federal government’s handling of a wildfire that destroyed the historic Grand Canyon Lodge and upward of 80 structures on the park’s North Rim.

In a series of posts on social media platform X on July 13, Hobbs criticized federal officials for initially managing the lightning-sparked blaze as a controlled burn rather than immediately suppressing it.