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 raging wildfire near the Grand Canyon in the US has destroyed dozens of buildings - including a historic lodge that was the only accommodation available within the surrounding national park's North Rim. The fire that destroyed the Grand Canyon Lodge is one of two that has swept across tens of thousands of acres in the area.

The inner canyon, including Phantom Ranch, was closed, as were trails to the inner canyon, because a water treatment facility on the North Rim was damaged by fire and was leaking chlorine gas, park officials said. Chlorine gas is toxic and is heavier than air, meaning it could settle into the lower part of the canyon.