The iconic statue of a famous burro housed in the Grand Canyon Lodge on the North Rim, thought to be lost forever due to the Dragon Bravo Fire, is safe.
The statue of Brighty of the Grand Canyon commemorates the real-life burro who lived in the Grand Canyon in the early 1900s. He was featured in a 1953 children's novel by Marguerite Henry that was later adapted into a movie.
The iconic bronze burro resided off the Sun Room of the lodge for decades. Then, the wildfire ripped through the North Rim on the night of July 12, destroying Grand Canyon Lodge and dozens of other structures.
Grand Canyon National Park officials say the statue survived, but was heavily damaged by the fire.
Brighty was recently moved to the South Rim to be stored at the Museum Collection on the South Rim where specialists will assess the condition to determine if it can be restored or needs to be replaced.
The latest incident report released Friday shows the Dragon Bravo Fire is over halfway contained at 144,900 acres.
