A wildfire in Arizona has decimated the Grand Canyon Lodge, a National Historic Landmark.
The Dragon Bravo Fire on the Grand Canyon’s North Ridge, one of two wildfires currently raging in the area, started as a result of lightning on 4 July. On 12 July, the National Park Service (NPS) reported “extreme and volatile fire behaviour” that led to the fire quickly expanding by 500 acres (it has burned more than 5,000 acres total thus far) and engulfing the historic lodge.
The Grand Canyon Lodge has been completely destroyed, along with up to 80 other structures—many of them NPS buildings, including an administrative building, visitor centre, gas station, waste-water treatment plant and some employee housing, according to the Associated Press. No human casualties have been reported, and the area had already been evacuated on Thursday (10 July). This particular section of the National Park is now closed to visitors for the rest of the season.
The Grand Canyon Lodge opened in 1937, replacing a previous structure that had burned down only a few years after its construction. It was designed by the architect Gilbert Stanley Underwood (1890-1961), known for his National Park lodges and train depots across the US. The campus included a main lodge and 120 cabins, which hosted millions of visitors over almost 90 years. The Grand Canyon Lodge was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982; it became a National Historic Landmark in 1987.
“As stewards of some of our country’s most beloved national treasures, we are devastated by the loss of the Grand Canyon Lodge,” a spokesperson for Aramark, the company that ran the lodge, said in a statement. “We are grateful that all of our employees and guests have been safely evacuated.”
Katie Hobbs, the governor of Arizona, said in a statement that she is “incredibly saddened by the destruction of the historic Grand Canyon Lodge”, adding that it was “devastating to see this damage done to one of Arizona’s most cherished landmarks”. She has asked for a federal investigation to look into the response to the fire, which had been smoldering for more than a week before re-erupting this past weekend.
