The nearly century-old Grand Canyon Lodge in far northern Arizona was a refuge for ambitious hikers and adventurous tourists eager to bask in the magnificent views of one of the most remote and renowned landscapes in the world.

The national parks of the West are a treasure, and once you are immersed in all their massive grandeur, it’s easy to assume they’ll always be there. I know it’s become a cliché, but the Joni Mitchell lyric from “Big Yellow Taxi” keeps running through my mind as I write this: “You don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone.

A wildfire that destroyed a historic Grand Canyon lodge is continuing to spread out of control after it had been allowed to burn for days.

The Dragon Bravo Fire started on July 4 and was managed at first as a controlled burn. Then the wind picked up, and it quickly became uncontrollable.