Grand Canyon Lodge destroyed in wildfire: What we know | Climate Crisis News

A quickly shifting wildfire has engulfed the historic Grand Canyon Lodge in Arizona in the US.

The hearth pressured officers to shut entry to the Grand Canyon’s North Rim on Sunday, and residents and vacationers had been evacuated.

Here’s what occurred to the Grand Canyon Lodge and what’s the newest:

What occurred to the Grand Canyon Lodge?

Two wildfires, the White Sage Fireplace and the Dragon Bravo Fireplace, are at the moment burning at or close to the Grand Canyon’s North Rim.

The Dragon Bravo Fireplace is the one which burned the Grand Canyon Lodge and close by constructions.

It was sparked by lightning on July 4 and expanded to 200 hectares (500 acres) in a little bit greater than per week, in keeping with the Nationwide Park Service (NPS).

Dragon Bravo was pushed by sustained winds of 32 kilometres per hour (20 miles per hour) and gusts as robust as 64km/h (40mph).

The White Sage Fireplace was additionally began by lightning on July 9. By July 13, it had unfold to 40,186 acres (16,263 hectares), in keeping with the US Division of Agriculture’s Forest Service.

The NPS mentioned no casualties have been reported and residents and vacationers had been safely evacuated.

What’s the lodge recognized for?

The Grand Canyon Lodge was a seasonal resort on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon Nationwide Park in Coconino County in northern Arizona.

The lodge had stood on a North Rim elevation since 1928 and was designed by architect Gilbert Stanley Underwood.

The unique lodge burned down in a kitchen hearth in 1932 and was rebuilt in 1937, primarily based on the unique plan and stonework.

Nonetheless, it was scaled again and constructed with no second storey.

The principle lodge and its 120 cabins had been open seasonally. This yr, the lodge opened on Might 15 and was to have stayed open till October 15.

It has drawn individuals for many years with its breathtaking views of one of many pure wonders of the US.

What’s the Grand Canyon?

The Grand Canyon was carved by the Colorado River and is about 446km (277 miles) lengthy, as much as 29km (18 miles) broad and greater than 1.6km (1 mile) deep in spots.

The canyon exposes layers of purple sandstone and multicoloured bands of different rock, revealing nearly 2 billion years of Earth’s geological historical past.

The Grand Canyon is likely one of the most visited US nationwide parks with thousands and thousands of tourists a yr and is a UNESCO World Heritage Website.

The NPS mentioned that in keeping with preliminary assessments, 50 to 80 constructions have been misplaced within the wildfires, together with NPS administrative buildings and customer services.

What rescue efforts are in place?

The Grand Canyon Nationwide Park was evacuated on Thursday due to the wildfire and can stay closed for the remainder of the season.

5 hundred personnel have been assigned to battle the White Sage Fireplace, in keeping with the Forest Service.

On July 9, an replace revealed on the Grand Canyon Nationwide Park’s Fb web page mentioned authorities had been utilizing a “confine/comprise” technique to handle the Dragon Bravo Fireplace.

“This implies the hearth is being allowed to fulfil its pure function inside an outlined space, whereas firefighters take motion to restrict its unfold the place mandatory,” the publish mentioned, including that the hearth didn’t pose threats to infrastructure or public security on the time.

On Thursday, the park mentioned the Dragon Bravo Fireplace was being managed with a “full suppression” technique and by Friday, it posted one other replace on Fb saying: “The hearth is being managed with an aggressive full suppression technique.”

Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, thanked firefighters and first responders working to handle the hearth whereas questioning the Republican-led federal authorities’s response.

“They need to first take aggressive motion to finish the wildfire and stop additional injury,” Hobbs wrote in a publish on X on Sunday.

She mentioned in one other publish: “An incident of this magnitude calls for intense oversight and scrutiny into the federal authorities’s emergency response.”

I’m extremely saddened by the destruction of the historic Grand Canyon Lodge, and my coronary heart goes out to each particular person impacted by the Dragon Bravo Fireplace close to the Grand Canyon’s North Rim.

Thanks to each firefighter and first responder taking motion to fight the flames.

— Governor Katie Hobbs (@GovernorHobbs) July 14, 2025

What’s the most recent on the bottom?

The fires are nonetheless burning.

Whereas firefighting efforts are ongoing, authorities mentioned they’ve been hindered by sizzling, dry winds.

“Crews encountered very excessive hearth conduct as a result of dry circumstances [and] gusty and erratic winds inhibiting the flexibility for hearth fighters to soundly have interaction the hearth,” the Bureau of Land Administration mentioned concerning the White Sage Fireplace.

The Forest Service additionally reported record-high vitality launch elements (ERCs), which is a measure of how dry and flammable vegetation is,. This mixture of things is making a unstable setting.

The Dragon Bravo Fireplace can also be posing challenges to firefighters.

The NPS reported that aerial hearth retardant was being deployed to gradual the hearth close to the lodge, however a chlorine fuel leak on the North Rim water remedy facility prompted the evacuation of firefighters from key areas close by, halting operations.

The fuel leak was a results of the water remedy plant being impacted by the hearth.

Chlorine fuel can irritate the eyes, nostril and throat. It might additionally trigger lung accidents and, in extreme instances, sudden demise, in keeping with the US Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention.

The North Rim stays closed for firefighting operations.

The chlorine leak has additionally prompted closures of Phantom Ranch, which sits on the backside of the Grand Canyon simply north of the Colorado River; the North Kaibab Path, which begins on the North Rim and descends to the river; and the South Kaibab Path, which begins on the South Rim and descends to the Colorado.