Latest news with #historiclodge
CNN
3 days ago
- CNN
Wildfire destroys historic Grand Canyon Lodge
A wildfire that leveled a historic lodge and visitors center on the Grand Canyon's North Rim grew rapidly more than a week after it began as firefighters pushed ahead with efforts to slow its spread.
CNN
3 days ago
- CNN
Wildfire destroys historic Grand Canyon Lodge
A wildfire that leveled a historic lodge and visitors center on the Grand Canyon's North Rim grew rapidly more than a week after it began as firefighters pushed ahead with efforts to slow its spread.
CNN
3 days ago
- CNN
Wildfire destroys historic Grand Canyon Lodge
A wildfire that leveled a historic lodge and visitors center on the Grand Canyon's North Rim grew rapidly more than a week after it began as firefighters pushed ahead with efforts to slow its spread.
The Independent
3 days ago
- Climate
- The Independent
Wildfire along Grand Canyon's North Rim destroys historic lodge and is spreading rapidly
A wildfire that leveled a historic lodge and visitors center on the Grand Canyon's North Rim grew rapidly more than a week after it began as firefighters pushed ahead Monday with efforts to slow its spread. Park officials have closed access for the season to the North Rim, a less popular area of the park that draws only about 10% of the Grand Canyon 's millions of annual visitors. The fire destroyed the Grand Canyon Lodge, the only lodging inside the park at the North Rim, along with cabins, employee housing and a waste water treatment plant, park Superintendent Ed Keable said Sunday. Firefighters at the North Rim and hikers in the inner canyon were evacuated during the weekend over concerns about the fire and potential exposure to chlorine gas after a treatment plant burned. Rafters on the Colorado River, which snakes through the Grand Canyon, were told to bypass Phantom Ranch, an outpost of cabins and dormitories at the bottom of the canyon. Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs on Sunday called for a federal investigation into the National Park Service's handling of the wildfire, which was sparked by lightning July 4. Authorities first used a 'confine and contain' strategy by clearing fuel sources, but shifted to aggressive suppression a week later as the fire rapidly grew to 7.8 square miles (20 square kilometers) because of hot temperatures, low humidity and strong wind gusts, fire officials said. 'Arizonans deserve answers for how this fire was allowed to decimate the Grand Canyon National Park,' the governor said in a social media post. No injuries have been reported, but 50 to 80 structures have been lost, the park superintendent said. There are two wildfires burning near the North Rim — the Dragon Bravo Fire that destroyed the lodge and other buildings and the White Sage Fire, which by Sunday afternoon had charred 63 square miles (162 square kilometers) of terrain. Officials reported progress in battling the White Sage Fire. The Grand Canyon Lodge, known for its huge ponderosa beams, massive limestone facade and a 600-pound (272-kilogram) bronze statue of a donkey named 'Brighty the Burro,' was perched on the edge of the North Rim and offered sweeping views of the canyon. Caren Carney was staying at the lodge last week with her husband, parents and 12-year-old son when a park ranger knocked on their door Thursday and told them to evacuate. She was heartbroken Sunday to hear that such a 'magical place' had burned down. After evacuating, the family from Georgia went to the South Rim and could see the blaze from across the canyon. 'I'm so glad we got to have one final look at it in the present before it was lost,' Carney said. Aramark, the company that operated the lodge, said all employees and guests were safely evacuated. 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. Elsewhere, a wildfire burning in southwestern Colorado closed Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park and forced the evacuation of homes near the park. The fire was started by lightning Thursday on the south rim of the park, a dramatic, deep gorge carved by the Gunnison River. Colorado Gov. Jared Polis issued a disaster declaration Sunday because of it and other fires burning in western Colorado. ___
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Daily Mail
Grand Canyon wildfires live: Mayhem as fast flames torch north rim at America's most famous tourist destination
Arizona firefighters are battling two fast-moving blazes that destroyed a historic lodge and dozens of other structures in the Grand Canyon's North Rim. The flames from two wildfires - the Dragon Bravo Fire and the White Sage Fire - have prompted officials to close the famous tourist destination for the remainder of the 2025 season. The iconic Grand Canyon Lodge, the only lodging inside the park at the North Rim, was torched by the Dragon Bravo Fire over the weekend. 'Numerous' historic cabins in the area also were destroyed by the Dragon Bravo Fire - which first broke out on July 4 from lightning strikes. 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,' lodge spokesperson Debbie Albert said. The White Sage Fire, which began on July 9, has already destroyed more than 20,000 acres of land and remains uncontained, authorities said. Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs has called on the federal government to investigate the National Park Service's response to the wildfire. Historic Grand Canyon lodge destroyed in blaze The Grand Canyon Lodge, the only lodging inside the park at the North Rim, was consumed by the flames from the Bravo Dragon Fire. The lodge is a designated landmark that was built in 1928 by the Utah Parks Company. It has become known for its stunning architecture and its location, which offers sweeping views of the vast Grand Canyon. The Grand Canyon Lodge was often the first prominent feature that visitors see, even before viewing the canyon. 'It just feels like you're a pioneer when you walk through there [the lodge],' Tim Allen of Flagstaff said. 'It really felt like you were in a time gone heartbreaking.' 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,' lodge spokesperson Debbie Albert said. 12:42 Arizona Governor calls for federal investigation into wildfire response Governor Katie Hobbs called on the federal government late Sunday to investigate the National Park Service's response to the wildfire. 'They must first take aggressive action to end the wildfire and prevent further damage,' she said in a post on X. 'But Arizonans deserve answers for how this fire was allowed to decimate the Grand Canyon National Park.' 12:42 Grand Canyon's North Rim ravaged by two massive blazes Two wildfires are burning at or near the North Rim, known as the White Sage Fire and the Dragon Bravo Fire. The latter is the one that impacted the lodge and other structures. Started by lightning on July 4, the Dragon Bravo Fire was initially managed by authorities with a 'confine and contain' strategy to clear fuel sources. They shifted to aggressive suppression a week later, as the fire rapidly grew to 7.8 square miles due to hot temperatures, low humidity and strong wind gusts, fire officials said. Approximately 45,000 acres of land have been destroyed by the fires as of Sunday, with no reported injuries. Park Superintendent Ed Keable said the visitor center, the gas station, a wastewater treatment plant, an administrative building and some employee housing were among the 50 to 80 structures lost. Historic Grand Canyon lodge destroyed by fast-moving wildfire A historic lodge was swallowed by flames and brought to rubble after a fast-moving wildfire erupted in Arizona 's Grand Canyon National Park.
