Tourists grieve historic Grand Canyon lodge as it's brought to ashes by devastating wildfire
The iconic lodge in the Grand Canyon National Park was destroyed by a wildfire at the weekend
Tourists are grieving a historic Grand Canyon lodge as it is brought to ashes by a devastating wildfire.
Tributes have poured in on social media for the North Rim lodge at the Grand Canyon after the building was destroyed by a wildfire outbreak.
This comes after the National Park broke the sad news on Sunday (July 13).
One user took to Instagram to share their condolences, writing: “A lot of tears being shed today as Grand Canyon National Park Superintendent Ed Keeble told park residents and staff that the historic Grand Canyon Lodge on the North Rim was consumed by flames from the Dragon Bravo wildfire.
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“Keeble says the visitor center, the gas station and a waste water treatment plant also were lost, along with some employee housing and an administrative building.
“This is a devastating loss for park employees, all of us who’ve had the pleasure of staying here, and everyone who will never get a chance to see it.
“If you’ve stayed here, we’d love to hear your memories in the comments.”
This prompted many people to respond with their own memories of the lodge, with one user saying: “Our family from NY met up with my dad who traveled there from KY. We sat on the porch and waited for him. He walked up behind us and we literally cried - not because we hadn’t seen each other in a long time, but because we were there in that beautiful place together... I’m going to call and tell him - and we will cry together.”
Another commented: “We brought our two boys here on an RV trip in 2023 (3 and 18 months). This visitor center is where our youngest picked out a Mountain Lion he named Roar. He still sleeps with him.
“We’ve sat in those chairs and held our boys while looking out at this view. Such a devastating loss.”
And a third person added: “My Great-grandfather, Truman Welling, built the lodge. I was looking forward to finally taking my children to see it this fall.”
The destruction was the result of an outbreak of two wildfires in the area last week, known as the White Sage Fire and the Bravo Dragon fire.
The Bravo Dragon fire hit the lodge and other structures as the flames quickly spread, according to officials.
People in the area were evacuated on Thursday (July 10) due to the increasing fires.