According to the informaiton released by the NPS, lightening started the fire on 4 July 2025. The lodge, the cabins and the BRASS statue of “BRIGHTY” burned down on 13 July 2025. Usually it takes about three days to start smoking in the forest. In the old days, we had lookouts in towers watching for smoke. Not they have idiots sitting at computers shopping on Amazon. Something should have been down about that lightning strike long before it was.
It destroyed one of the most scenic venues in Arizona where thousands of honeymooners enjoyed a site far different and far more bucolic than the Canyon’s hectic south rim.