A beloved bronze statue, Brighty the Burro, has been rescued from the charred remains of a historic Grand Canyon lodge, sparking hopes for his restoration after a devastating wildfire.
The 600-pound (273-kilogram) sculpture, a familiar sight to visitors at the Grand Canyon Lodge on the national park's North Rim, was severely damaged when a summer wildfire reduced the nearly century-old building to rubble. Brighty was discovered with his head and body largely intact, but missing an ear and with his front legs detached, a stark testament to the blaze's intensity.
As firefighters continued to battle the persistent flames, Brighty embarked on a five-hour journey. Strapped into the back of a pickup truck, he was transported from his North Rim home to the South Rim on Friday, marking a significant step in his recovery.
The immediate plan involves housing the iconic burro in the Grand Canyon National Park's museum collection for a thorough assessment. Park officials and conservation experts face the task of determining whether the statue can be meticulously restored to its former glory or if a new sculpture will be commissioned.
While no timeline has been set for Brighty's future, a wave of support has emerged on social media. Fans fondly recall family photographs taken with the sculpture and the popular children's book loosely based on the original burro's adventures, all expressing a desire to see Brighty returned to his rightful place.
“It’s a very special symbolic piece of history for a lot of people,” park spokesperson Joëlle Baird told The Associated Press.
An enduring symbol of life along the rugged canyon, the hefty statue represents a free-spirited burro who lived more than a century ago. Brighty was known to migrate up and down the canyon as the seasons changed. He'd help haul water to a summer camp on the North Rim in exchange for pancakes and would give children rides.
One of the first chores for the team will be testing for any toxic materials on the sculpture, Baird said. Then, depending on the damage assessment, the park could end up working with a foundry to make the burro whole again.
Brighty is a small but important part of what will be a yearslong effort for the National Park Service as it charts a path for restoration and reconstruction on the North Rim. More immediately, Baird said a special team that focuses on stabilizing the soil, controlling erosion and reseeding will begin assessing the burned areas starting next week.
The Dragon Bravo Fire was sparked by lightning in early July. It burned for about a week before exploding into a fast moving conflagration that forced evacuations and consumed the Grand Canyon Lodge and dozens of cabins. The National Park Service has defended its handling of the fire, saying a sudden and extreme shift in the wind far exceeded forecasts.
Persistent hot, dry and windy weather has hampered crews over the past several weeks, making it more difficult to fight the flames on the North Rim and elsewhere around the West — from Idaho and Montana to California, Colorado, Utah and New Mexico.
According to the National Interagency Fire Center, nearly four dozen large fires are burning in the U.S., with more than 17,700 firefighters and support personnel assigned to them.
