GRAND CANYON, AZ – A firefighter from Priest River, Idaho, died Monday afternoon while working on the Dragon Bravo Fire in northern Arizona.

According to the Southwest Area Incident Management Team 3, 70-year-old Hank Hester suffered a cardiac emergency near the North Rim Entrance Station while engaged in suppression repair. Despite rapid medical aid from a line paramedic, resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful.

The Dragon Bravo Fire began on July 4, 2025, from a lightning strike.  The Southwest Area Incident Management Team, along with Grand Canyon National Park, Kaibab National Forest, and the USDA Forest Service Southwest Region, expressed condolences to Hester’s family and friends, noting that “a line of duty death impacts us all.”

Support is being provided to firefighters and colleagues assigned to the Dragon Bravo Fire. The National Park Service, in coordination with the Coconino County Medical Examiner, is investigating the incident.

More information will be released as it becomes available.