Built nearly 100 years ago, the remote lodge offered majestic views of one of our finest national parks before it burned in the Dragon Bravo Fire.

The fire on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon started from a lightning strike but was managed as a controlled burn until it spread.

Gov. Katie Hobbs questioned why the U.S. government decided to manage the Dragon Bravo fire, which started with a lightning strike, as a “controlled burn” during the height of the summer.

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.

What fueled the explosive growth of the Dragon Bravo Fire was a mix of gusty winds, dry air and above-normal heat – weather conditions experts described as atypical for this time of year, when monsoonal moisture typically tamps down wildfire risk across Arizona.

A wildfire in tinder-dry forest destroyed dozens of buildings, prompting public outrage that it was left to burn for a week before firefighters tried to fully extinguish it.

A mix of high temperatures, gusty winds, low humidity, and dry vegetation has fuelled the fire's swift advance in Arizona, officials say.