Most of the damaged and destroyed properties were cabins for visitors, according to data from a preliminary report.

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.

A combination of high winds, dry air and above average temperatures caused a wildfire in the Grand Canyon to rapidly expand and cause major damage.

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. Woodlands and grasslands are quick to burn and can serve as home to a variety of wildlife species.

I visited the Grand Canyon's North Rim looking for a uniquely Arizona experience. Instead, it taught me what it meant to be an Arizonan.