An explosive Grand Canyon wildfire brings terror, loss and tough questions: ‘It came like a freight train’

The decision to let a small blaze burn - before it suddenly erupted - has drawn scrutiny. Now those who love the remote North Rim are reckoning with the destruction

When lightning struck on 4 July along the remote North Rim of Grand Canyon national park, sparking a small wildfire in a patch of dry forest, few predicted the terror and loss that lay ahead.

Fire managers decided that conditions seemed ideal to let the blaze burn at a low intensity - a practice known as control and contain" that helps clear out excess fuels and decreases the chance of a more catastrophic wildfire in the future. Rains from previous weeks had left the forest floor moist and weather forecasts indicated the summer monsoon season would arrive soon.