Wildfire destroys a historic Grand Canyon lodge and other structures : NPR

An undated photo shows the Grand Canyon Lodge on the north edge of Grand Canyon, Arizona. A forest fire destroyed the lodge.

Michael Quinn / National Park Service via AP

hide

tilting legend

Michael Quinn / National Park Service via AP

Fallstaff, Arizona – A rapidly evolving forest fire destroyed a historic lodge and dozens of other structures on the north edge of the Grand Canyon, forcing those responsible to get closer to this area for the season, the park said on Sunday.

The Grand Canyon Lodge, the only accommodation inside the North rim park, was consumed by the Flames, the Superintendent of Parc Ed Kable told the residents of the park, the staff and other people at a meeting on Sunday morning. He said that the reception center, the service station, a wastewater treatment plant, an administrative building and certain housing employed were among the 50 to 80 lost structures. “Many” historic cabins in the region have also been destroyed, said the park.

Two forest fires burn to or near the northern rim, known as Fire White Sage and the Fire Dragon Bravo. The latter is the one who had an impact on the Lodge and other structures. The park initially managed it as a checked burn, but then moved to the suppression while it quickly increased to 7.8 square miles (20 square kilometers) due to hot temperatures, low humidity and wind, fire managers said.

No injury has been reported.

Millions of people visit the Grand Canyon National Park each year, most of them by the most popular southern edge. The north edge is open seasonally. He was evacuated last Thursday because of the forest fire and will remain closed for the rest of the season, the park said in a statement.

The firefighters of the northern rim and the hikers of the interior canyon were evacuated during the weekend. The park said with the risk of fire, they could potentially be exposed to gas chlorine after the treatment plant has burned. Gas chlorine is heavier than air and can cause blurred vision, irritation or respiratory problems if high quantities are inspired, according to centers for disease control and prevention.

Chevrons on the Colorado river through the Grand Canyon were also invited to bypass the Phantom Ranch, which has a set of cabins and dormitories along the river.

The Grand Canyon Lodge was often the first important characteristic that visitors see, even before seeing the Canyon. A highway ends in the lodge, known for its sloping roof, its huge Ponderosa beams and its massive limestone facade. Crossing the hall and descending a staircase, visitors could have their first view of the big brilliant canyon through the windows through the “Sun Room”.

“It looks like you are a pioneer when you walk there (the lodge),” said Tim Allen, a longtime resident from Flagstaff, Arizona, and an annual visitor to the Grand Canyon. “It was really as if you had spent in a time.”

Allen said the north edge was special and more personal because of its distance and its number of tourists reduced. He often spent time there camp and hikes rim rim, trekking to the bottom of the canyon and back down.

“It’s heartbreaking,” he said about the destruction caused by the fire.

Aramark, the company that operated the lodge, said all employees and guests had been evacuated safely.

“As guards of certain most loved national treasures in our country, we are devastated by loss,” said spokesperson Debbie Albert.

An original lodge burned a kitchen fire in 1932, four years after the end of the construction, according to the Grand Canyon Historical Society. The redrawn lodge using the original stone opened in 1937.

Meanwhile, officials have declared progress in the fight against a second burning forest fire in the north of the Grand Canyon. The fire lines on the fire of the white sage which forced evacuations at the northern rim and in the community of Lake Jacob held, said officials. Sunday afternoon, the fire had charred 63 square miles (162 square kilometers) in land.

At the southern end of the fire, the crews of the hands and the bulldozers worked and the spread of the fire had been minimal.

But in the east and north, the fire quickly spread, with herbs and dead trees standing to the intensity of the fire, officials said. The fire was growing down to the Vermilion cliff zone, and the crews evaluated opportunities to create buffer areas that help slow or stop fire progress.