Historic Grand Canyon lodge destroyed by wildfire: official

GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK, Ariz. (AP) — A historic lodge on the Grand Canyon’s North Rim has been destroyed by a fast-moving wildfire, the park said Sunday.

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. The latter 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.

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.

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.

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.