GRAND CANYON ― With a wildfire burning behind him, Sen. Mark Kelly sought to reassure the public the Grand Canyon’s South Rim is still open and maintained the federal government will rebuild the devastated North Rim and help affected businesses.

The physical and economic wreckage comes amid what has already been a difficult season for the Grand Canyon area, with visits far below last year’s pace and the Dragon Bravo Fire creating a sense — wrongly — that the entire Grand Canyon National Park is threatened.

The fire’s damage is substantial but also limited to an area miles from the South Rim, Kelly, D-Arizona, told reporters after he inspected damage in a flyover of the affected areas.

“The Lodge on the North Rim has basically burned to the ground,” Kelly said Aug. 8 outside the El Tovar

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