DNR deals with budget cuts, reduced staff as wildfires rage in West

Wildfires burning in the western United States have prompted the closure and evacuation of two national parks, and homes near those parks, within a week of each other in Colorado and Arizona. The Dragon Bravo Fire has torched thousands of acres and destroyed a historic lodge in Arizona, forcing the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park to shut down. Two wildfires in Colorado also forced the closure of Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park.

Peak still to come

The evacuations and closures come before wildfire season reaches its typical peak in September. To add to troubles, some Department of National Resources (DNR) offices in western states lost around 30% of their staff due to voluntary severance earlier in 2025. Those offices also saw money cut from fire mitigation and fire control budgets by the Trump administration, according to a DNR source that spoke with Straight Arrow News and granted anonymity for fear of career retribution.

A concerning forecast

The cuts, evacuations of homes and questions over the response to the Dragon Bravo Fire by Arizona’s governor come as the National Interagency Fire Center forecasts a particularly bad wildfire season. Gov. Katie Hobbs, D-Ariz., questioned why the federal government didn’t switch to an aggressive attack on the Dragon Bravo Fire sooner after it sparked on July 4, calling for an investigation into the matter.

The National Interagency Fire Center noted drought conditions, combined with a lack of rainfall during the 2024-2025 winter, threaten to fuel more fires in addition to the ones already burning across California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona and Colorado over the last couple weeks.

Firefighting efforts continue

Nearly 200 firefighters are battling the South Rim Fire in Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, one of at least half a dozen fires burning in Colorado that were sparked by a lightning storm on Thursday, July 10. As a result, officials placed three western Colorado counties under disaster declarations as thousands of acres are engulfed in flames.

Arizona currently has two wildfires burning near Grand Canyon National Park, including the White Sage Fire, which has burned nearly 50,000 acres.

Across the West, roughly three dozen fires are burning uncontained, and another 80 are being managed to remove vegetation that has littered the landscape, according to officials.

While the amount of land burned in 2025 so far is below the 10-year average, officials warn hot temperatures and winds will worsen, potentially adding fuel to fires in Arizona and Utah on Tuesday, raising the risk the wildfires could expand.