The historic Grand Canyon Lodge on the monument’s North Rim has been destroyed by a fast-moving wildfire, the park said on Sunday. The blaze has forced officials to close access to that area for the season.
The Grand Canyon Lodge, the only lodging inside the park at the North Rim, was consumed by the flames, park superintendent Ed Keable told park residents, staff and others in a meeting Sunday morning. He said the visitor center, the gas station, a waste water treatment plant, an administrative building and some employee housing also were lost.
Two wildfires are burning at or near the North Rim, known as the White Sage fire and the Bravo Dragon fire, and have collectively burned more than 45,000 acres. The White Sage fire burned 40,126 acres (16,200 hectares) near the North Rim, while the Dragon Bravo fire, burning to the south within Grand Canyon national park, reached 5,000 acres according to InciWeb, a federal government wildfire tracker.
The Bravo Dragon fire is the one that impacted the lodge and other structures. The park initially was managing it as a controlled burn but then shifted to suppression as it rapidly grew, fire officials said. It was sparked by lightning on 4 July.
No injuries have been reported.
After a thunderstorm on 9 July, the US Bureau of Land Management began receiving reports of smoke in the area of the White Sage fire.
On Friday, the Coconino county sheriff’s office reported that the whole region was under evacuation and urged residents to leave immediately.
Millions of people visit Grand Canyon national park annually, with most going to the more popular South Rim. The North Rim is open seasonally. It was evacuated last Thursday because of wildfire and will remain closed for the rest of the season, a park statement read.
The burning of the water treatment plant resulted in the release of chlorine gas that prompted the evacuation of firefighters and hikers from the inner canyon, park officials said Sunday. Chlorine gas is heavier than air and can quickly settle into lower elevations such as the inner canyon, posing a health risk.
Rafters on the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon also were told to bypass Phantom Ranch, which has a set of cabins and dormitories along the river.
The Grand Canyon Lodge was often the first prominent feature that visitors see, even before viewing the canyon. A highway ends at the lodge, which was known for its sloped roof, huge ponderosa beams and massive limestone facade. By walking across the lobby and descending a stairwell, visitors could get their first view of the Grand Canyon shining through windows across the sun room.
“It just feels like you’re a pioneer when you walk through there [the lodge],” said Tim Allen, a longtime resident of Flagstaff, Arizona, and yearly visitor to the Grand Canyon. “It really felt like you were in a time gone by.”
Aramark, the company that operated the lodge, said all employees and guests were safely evacuated.
“As stewards of some our country’s most beloved national treasures, we are devastated by the loss,” said spokesperson Debbie Albert.
An original lodge burned down from a kitchen fire in 1932, four years after construction was completed, according to the Grand Canyon Historical Society. The redesigned lodge using the original stonework opened in 1937.
Meanwhile, officials reported progress in battling a second wildfire burning north of the Grand Canyon. Fire lines on the White Sage Fire that forced evacuations at the North Rim and in the community of Jacob Lake were holding, officials said. On the southern edge of the fire, hand crews and bulldozers were working uphill, and the spread of the blaze had been minimal.
But to the east and north, the fire has spread rapidly, with grasses and standing dead trees contributing to the fire’s intensity, officials said. The fire was pushing downhill toward the Vermilion Cliffs area, and crews were assessing opportunities to create buffer zones that help slow or halt the fire’s progress.
