21-year-old Arizona man arrested on arson, DUI charges at Grand Canyon National Park
May 24, 2024, 8:00 PM

A man was arrested for arson after a fire broke out early Saturday at Grand Canyon National Park on May 18, 2024. (National Park Service Photo)
(National Park Service Photo)
PHOENIX — A man was arrested for arson after a fire broke out at Grand Canyon National Park last weekend, authorities said.
The blaze started on May 18 around midnight in a concessionaire housing area on the park’s South Rim, according to the National Park Service.
Before firefighters arrived, an employee used a fire extinguisher to put out most of the flames, possibly saving residents and nearby cabins, NPS said.
“The fire department’s further suppression efforts extinguished the fire completely,” NPS officials said in a press release.
After the fire was extinguished, officials found an employee’s vehicle severely damaged and linked it to the suspected arsonist, a 21-year-old resident of Flagstaff. The suspect’s name was not released.
The suspect, who was initially apprehended on DUI charges, now faces multiple charges, including arson, property damage and trespassing.
The National Park Service Investigative Services Branch, Grand Canyon law enforcement rangers and the Bureau of Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco and Explosives were involved in the investigation.