Wildfire threatens Grand Canyon's North Rim
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"Though it was definitely not your average vacation trip, everything worked out okay. We made the best of it," Russ Christian said.
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.
The Grand Canyon National Park is also under an extreme heat warning through the weekend, with temperatures expected to reach 115 degrees in low elevations.