A wildfire that ignited on July 4 from a lightning strike tore through the North Rim of the Grand Canyon National Park, resulting in the burning down of a historic lodge. The fire was allowed to burn for days.
The fire wasn’t attacked right away
After the fire ignited on July 4, the National Park Service decided not to aggressively attack it right away, saying it was being allowed to burn to benefit the land and that fire crews were keeping close watch on it, AP reports.
RELATED STORIES
No injuries were reported from the fire
The wildfire which spread across the North Rim of the Grand Canyon didn’t result in any reported injuries, as visitors don’t usually venture in that part of the canyon.
But fire officials said it was burning with no containment, and more than 70 structures were lost, including a visitors center and cabins.
People were told to evacuate a week later
A week after the fire had initially ignited, fire officials and the park service warned people to ‘evacuate immediately’ after the fire had grown by nearly eight times within a day, AP reports.
The fire had grown to more than 1.4 square miles (3.6 square kilometers).
An investigation is being called for
A federal investigation into the park service’s handling of the wildfire was called for by Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs, who said in a social media post, “The federal government chose to manage that fire as a controlled burn during the driest, hottest part of the Arizona summer.”
The fire destroyed a historical lodge
Part of the destruction done by the fire was the burning down of the Grand Canyon Lodge, the only lodging inside the park’s North Rim.
The lodge included dining facilities, a gift shop, and a post office and had been operating since the 1930s.
The lodge was a national treasure
Aramark, the company that operated the lodge, said in a statement, “As stewards of some of our country’s most beloved national treasures, we are devastated by the loss of the Grand Canyon Lodge,” as reported by the BBC.
The statement added, “We are grateful that all of our employees and guests have been safely evacuated.”
The North Rim is now closed
Park officials have announced that access to the North Rim will be closed for the rest of the year, AP reports.
The North Rim is a less popular area with visitors, as it only draws about 10% of the Grand Canyon’s millions of visitors every year.
