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.

A wildfire that tore through a historic Grand Canyon Lodge​ had been allowed to burn for days before erupting over the weekend, raising questions about federal officials' decision not to aggressively attack it right away.

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.

Firefighters in Arizona were tackling two out-of-control wildfires in extreme heat on Tuesday — including one at the Grand Canyon National Park's North Rim that's forced evacuations, road closures and razed a historic lodge and other structures.

The Dragon Bravo Fire burning inside Grand Canyon National Park has destroyed dozens of structures, including a beloved and historic lodge.

The visitor center and a wastewater treatment plant were among the 50 to 80 structures lost, the park superintendent said. The area was evacuated Thursday.

Two wildfires in Northern Arizona, sparked from lightning, have burned at least 60,000 acres in a little over a week — and, while firefighters work around the clock trying to contain the fires, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)'s satellites are aiding the fight from space. The fires have also spread to the Grand Canyon.

The Dragon Bravo blaze destroyed the historic Grand Canyon Lodge and dozens of other buildings used for summer tourism on the Arizona-Utah border.

Wildfires can burn and spread differently depending on what vegetation they burn. The two fires in northern Arizona have varied landscapes. Ponderosa pine trees grow near the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and can live for hundreds of years.

The Grand Canyon Lodge was one of dozens of structures destroyed in a fast-moving wildfire in Arizona over the weekend, the National Park Service confirmed.