The historic Grand Canyon North Rim Lodge is gone.
Firefighters have been unable to fight the Dragon Bravo Fire, burning on the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona, and were forced to evacuate because of a chlorine gas leak.
Among the buildings burned by the Dragon Bravo Fire on Friday afternoon was the area's water treatment facility, which in turn released a plume of chlorine gas, national park officials said.
Park authorities immediately evacuated firefighters from the North Rim and all hikers from the inner canyon, as chlorine is heavier than air and will settle into lower elevations.
NOAA says that nearby communities don't need to worry about the chlorine gas and that they are tracking its spread.
National Park officials say preliminary assessments indicate 50 - 80 structures have been lost, including the Grand Canyon Lodge and numerous historic cabins in the developed area. Other buildings lost include National Park Service administrative buildings and visitor facilities.
The fire has been going for more than a week now, being sparked by lightning on the 4th of July. Firefighters have had to stop the aerial fire retardant drops because of the gas leak.
The [Dragon Bravo] fire now sits at 5,000 acres and remains 0% contained. Dozens of firefighters are assigned to battle the blaze.
Crews are also battling the White Sage Fire, which is burning just north of the North Rim and has consumed over 10,000 acres.
Pray for our forest firefighters out West!
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