Historic lodge on Grand Canyon North Rim destroyed by wildfire

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PHOENIX — The historic Grand Canyon Lodge on the North Rim was consumed by a wildfire, Grand Canyon National Park officials said on July 13, as the roaring blazes have prompted evacuations and air quality concerns in the area.
Two wildfires burning around 30 miles apart to the north of the Grand Canyon had grown to over 45,000 acres by July 13, according to state and federal fire officials. The lodge, which opened in 1937, was about five-and-a-half hours north of metro Phoenix and was the only hotel located inside the national park at the North Rim.
The wildfire has burned between 50 and 80 structures on the North Rim, according to park officials.
The inner canyon, including Phantom Ranch, was closed, as were trails to the inner canyon, because a water treatment facility on the North Rim was damaged by fire and was leaking chlorine gas, park officials said. Chlorine gas is toxic and is heavier than air, meaning it could settle into the lower part of the canyon.
Park officials said the gas leak prevented fire retardant from being dropped and forced firefighting personnel to evacuate.
A vast area had been put under evacuation orders, the Kaibab Plateau from the Utah-Arizona line down to the Grand Canyon. Fire crews urged the public to avoid the area. Highway 89A was closed at Fredonia and Bitter Springs while the North and South Kaibab Trails, as well as the Bright Angel Trail below Havasupai Gardens, were closed to hikers.
The original North Rim lodge was built in part for the Union Pacific Railroad, which quickly reestablished a cafeteria and recreation hall after the 1932 fire, according to the National Park Service.
The new lodge sat on the foundation of the former and used many of the original's materials, but was scaled back in its design, removing a second story and observation tower that were part of the original, according to the National Park Service.
Architect Gilber Stanely Underwood followed National Park Service guidelines that required buildings to represent their environment. The lodge was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1987, according to the National Park Service.
There are a few other hotels near the main visitor hub of the North Rim, and they are at least a dozen miles farther from the canyon's edge. The lodge building, made of a limestone façade, was sourced nearby, and massive ponderosa pine trees were turned into support beams to hold up a sloped roof capable of supporting heavy loads of snow, according to the National Park Service.
Aramark operated the Grand Canyon Lodge. Debbie Albert, an Aramark spokesperson, confirmed the loss of the property.
"We are devastated by the loss of the Grand Canyon Lodge and numerous other historic buildings at the Grand Canyon's North Rim," Albert said. "We are grateful that all of our employees and guests have been safely evacuated, and we join the National Park Service in mourning the loss of these iconic and beloved structures."
The property consisted of a main lodge building with 23 deluxe cabins and over 90 regular cabins. The original lodge that opened in the late 1920s burned down in a fire in September 1932. That fire destroyed the lodge within minutes, sending the lodge's staff fleeing in the early morning hours, according to the National Park Service.
Among the amenities typical of a hotel, the lodge complex included a saloon, a deli, a coffee shop, a post office, a gift shop, and a visitors center. They were all in operation before wildfire closed the North Rim to visitors, according to the National Park Service.
The farther north of the two fires, the White Sage Fire, had burned 40,126 acres. Smoke was first reported on the evening of July 9, after a thunderstorm. The fire was sparked by lightning and intensified by strong winds and low relative humidity, according to InciWeb. It burned through grass, shrubs, and native pinyon-juniper trees, the BLM reported.
The Dragon Bravo Fire, burning to the south within Grand Canyon National Park, reached 5,000 acres according to InciWeb, a federal government wildfire tracker.
The Dragon Bravo Fire was responsible for burning the North Rim structures, including the historic lodge. Hot, dry, and windy conditions fueled its growth, with flames spreading through mixed conifer, aspen, and ponderosa pine forests, according to InciWeb.
Over 500 fire personnel were assigned to the White Sage fire, while 70 were assigned to the Dragon Bravo Fire. Both fires remained at 0% containment on the morning of July 13.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Wildfire destroys historic lodge on Grand Canyon North Rim