A fierce blaze that has burned along the Grand Canyon's North Rim since being sparked by lightning on July 4 has exploded in size in recent days, reaching "megafire" status and becoming the largest wildfire in the U.S. this year, according to the Arizona Republic.

A wildfire in northern Arizona has grown thousands of acres in just a few days as firefighters continue to work to regain containment.

The wildfire that destroyed the historic Grand Canyon Lodge​ earlier this month has expanded in recent days, fueled by hot, dry conditions, fire officials in Arizona said.