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

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.

The Grand Canyon Lodge was the park's one and only hotel, according the National Park Service, with the next nearest lodgings roughly 18 miles away.