Ruben Gallego, Mark Kelly demand answers over devastating Dragon Bravo Fire near Grand Canyon
Arizona's U.S. Sens. Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego sent a letter to the Trump administration demanding answers about the Dragon Bravo Fire.
PHOENIX — As two wildfires rage near the Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona’s two U.S. senators are demanding answers from the Trump administration.
Sens. Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego, both Democrats, sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum about the federal response to the Dragon Bravo Fire on Tuesday.
The blaze, which a lightning strike started on July 4, has destroyed over 70 structures on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.
“There are many questions over the initial decision to treat this fire as a controlled burn and subsequent decisions on how to respond,” the two senators said in their letter.
Kelly and Gallego want to know why the U.S. Department of the Interior decided to initially treat this fire as a controlled burn.
“We cannot allow these decisions to damage thousands of acres in northern Arizona, risk the health and safety of residents, and destroy landmarks like historic Grand Canyon Lodge, which was lost to the Dragon Bravo Fire,” the senators said.
That’s just one of several questions about the wildfire they’re demanding answers to. For instance, they also want to know whether federal authorities took into account recent heat trends and the area’s dryness when deciding to use a controlled burn.
Kelly, Gallego demanding answers about Dragon Bravo Fire
They requested that Burgum outline how the department plans to oversee wildfire decision-making amid the administration’s consolidation of the wildland fire workforce with the U.S. Forest Service.
“The Grand Canyon is Arizona’s crown jewel,” Kelly and Gallego said. “The Dragon Bravo Fire has already devastated this natural and cultural treasure, and the fire continues to spread.”
Additionally, the senators want to know if how the Department of the Interior plans to avoid similar devastation wreaked by Arizona wildfires.
“As the Department of Interior is poised to take on even more wildfire response responsibility under President Trump’s wildfire consolidation executive order, our constituents deserve to know that the best wildfire response decisions are being made,” the senators said.
Kelly and Gallego also asked Burgum what resourced the department surged to respond to the Dragon Bravo Fire after it escaped containment.
The full letter can be read online.
Related
Grand Canyon reopens 3 trails that were closed for over a month due to Dragon Bravo Fire
Historic Grand Canyon lodge destroyed by wildfire, officials say
White Sage Fire north of Grand Canyon grows exponentially, evacuations remain in place
Pocket Fire burn scar keeps Slide Rock swimming area closed through September
With Pocket Fire near Sedona 100% contained, officials significantly reduce closure area
Fire damage suspected in collapse of bridge over Colorado River in western Arizona
Comments
23 Comments
Wow twiddly dee and twiddly dum are pounding their chest thinking it's gotta be someone's fault because their the experts in fire management maybe they should consult with Gavin Newsom & bass on fire management
Our two darling US Senators have a serious credibility problem leaving most people to question their instep partisan song and dance recital.
Unfortunately for Marky and Ruby, preemptively thinning the forest is perhaps the best cure for wildfires but since the entire tree hugging environmentalist left are opposed to logging or proper forest management, liberals instead file endless lawsuits in front of liberal judges who feel compelled to legislate from the bench and we get court decisions based not on science or proper forest management by trained professionals, but instead we get endless court oversight based on emotions and partisan politics.
Oddly people are getting tired of the uncompressing left, Marky and Ruby are only coming out above ground to try and point fingers at Trump for partisan traction.
Ruby is a freshman and gets a free pass, but Marky has historically done NOTHING to help prevent wildfires. Where was Marky's concern prior?
These two really want to know how they can blame Trump and the curtailing of wild spending in Washington.
Politics 101.