Firefighters in Arizona were trying to contain a pair of fast-moving wildfires that destroyed a historic lodge in Grand Canyon National Park, closed a section of the park for the rest of the season and prompted calls for an investigation into federal authorities' wildfire response.

It was not long before the small plumes transformed into huge flames. Mr Crockett, vice-president of the non-profit Grand Canyon Historical Society, went to bed but worries kept him up. The historic Grand Canyon Lodge, with its panoramic views of one of the natural wonders of the world, was in the path of those flames.