Drought, a warming climate and decades of firefighting policies that suppressed natural fires have turned many grasslands and forests across the West into tinderboxes.

The Grand Canyon Lodge was one of dozens of structures destroyed in a fast-moving wildfire in Arizona over the weekend, the National Park Service confirmed.

A water treatment facility at the North Rim had been compromised by the fire, causing chlorine gas to fall to the bottom of the Canyon.

A fast-moving wildfire destroyed Grand Canyon Lodge and forced the full closure of the North Rim for the rest of summer 2025. Popular inner-canyon trails and campgrounds, including Phantom Ranch, are also shut down with no reopening date announced.