Photos: Rodeo-Chediski Fire in Northern Arizona, 2002
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Rick Wiley
Photo editor
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The massive Rodeo-Chediski Fire in 2002 burned out of control through several small communities in the White Mountains and Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest in Northern Arizona.
The Rodeo Fire began June 18 and the Chediski Fire began June 20. The two merged together on June 23. The complex fire was controlled by July 7.
Nearly 30,000 people were evacuated and 400 homes and buildings were destroyed. The fire complex consumed nearly 460,000 acres of the Fort Apache Indian Reservation and Apache–Sitgreaves National Forest.
It was the largest fire in Arizona history until the Wallow Fire surpassed it in 2011.
The Rodeo-Chediski Fire in 2002
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Jason Foust of the Avra Valley Fire Department watches flames consume juniper trees near a girls' camp in Aripine.
The Rodeo-Chediski Fire in 2002
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Stuart Rodeffer, of Tucson's Northwest Fire and Rescue, moves a propane tank away from a burning home.
The Rodeo-Chediski Fire in 2002
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A tired Kenny Young and Larry Bear of Northwest Fire and Rescue try to stay awake after a night shift in the Clay Springs area.
The Rodeo-Chediski Fire in 2002
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Jamie Mace of LPS Excavating in Williams drives a bulldozer along a fire line near a multimillion-dollar home in the Timberland Acres subdivision.
The Rodeo-Chediski Fire in 2002
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A Corona de Tucson firefighter reaches for the safety of his truck as high winds blow flames in all directions, later causing flames to spill over U.S. Forest Road 322.
The Rodeo-Chediski Fire in 2002
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A helicopter makes a water drop at Highway 260 near Wilson Road in Linden, Ariz., as smoke from the Rodeo Fire turns the sky a burnt orange.
The Rodeo-Chediski Fire in 2002
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In ominous, dark smoke, fire crews wait at an intersection in Linden. A dark, sooty cloud has engulfed much of the region.
The Rodeo-Chediski Fire in 2002
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Fire engulfs ponderosa pines off Forest Road 322 in Aripine.
The Rodeo-Chediski Fire in 2002
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A Corona de Tucson firefighter flees wind-driven flames near a hot spot at a girls camp off Forest Road 322 in Aripine.
The Rodeo-Chediski Fire in 2002
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A truck and satellite dish are all that is left of this home in Timberland Sunday morning, where 94 homes were destroyed by the Rodeo Fire.
The Rodeo-Chediski Fire in 2002
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A metal front door is all that remains of a house in the Cheney Ranch subdivision in Linden, where three homes have been destroyed. Officials estimate that 345 structures, including homes, businesses and trailers, have been destroyed in the towns of Aripine, Clay Springs, Heber-Overgaard, Linden and Pinedale since the Rodeo-Chediski Fire began.
The Rodeo-Chediski Fire in 2002
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A tired Rob Watson of the Pinetop Fire Department waits for new orders at a staging area in Linden after winds picked up in the morning. Watson's department was involved in the first attacks on Rodeo.
The Rodeo-Chediski Fire in 2002
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Steve Leitzell of Apache Junction Fire District spends the early hours of Monday morning hosing down some hot spots in the Timberland Acres subdivision, where 94 homes were destroyed by the fires.
The Rodeo-Chediski Fire in 2002
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Scary sight: Morgan Zimmer, right, girlfriend Vanessa Plumb and Taylor Plumb prepare to evacuate their home in Linden.
The Rodeo-Chediski Fire in 2002
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The setting sun marks the end of another grueling day for firefighters.
The Rodeo-Chediski Fire in 2002
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Charlie Hoag wets down the Sweet Corn Antiques store in Linden, which along with Pinedale and Clay Springs, was evacuated.
The Rodeo-Chediski Fire in 2002
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A sign on Arizona 260 tells residents where to go for shelter. About 4,000 people were evacuated Wednesday, with about 400 of those taking shelter at a high school gym in Springerville. A middle school gym in Eagar was also available to those who needed a place to stay.
The Rodeo-Chediski Fire in 2002
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Members of the Horseshoe Meadow Hotshots create a chain as they remove brush and trees from the side of a property in Timberland Acres outside Show Low, Ariz. The firefighters were trying to protect homes from the huge Rodeo Fire on June 24, 2002.
The Rodeo-Chediski Fire in 2002
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Firefighters watch a house burn in Timberland Acres outside Show Low, Ariz., as they try to prevent the house next door from meeting the same fate on Sunday, June 23, 2002. Crews worked desperately to try to save as many structures as possible.
The Rodeo-Chediski Fire in 2002
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Geronimo Hotshots crew boss Duane Chapman, left, from San Carlos, Ariz. points out where to shoot a "quick fire," a propelled igniting flare, to James Norman near Carrizo, Ariz. This photo was taken June 28, 2002.
The Rodeo-Chediski Fire in 2002
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National Guardsman and sheriff's deputies stop residents from Show Low trying to head south on U.S. 60 and direct them to turn back and head for a new evacuation center in Eagar, 48 miles to the east.
The Rodeo-Chediski Fire in 2002
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The rocky landscape remains scarred and exposed from the Rodeo Fire outside Show Low, Ariz., on Friday, June 21,2002. In the end, the Rodeo Fire connected with the Chediski Fire and burned through 468,638 acres around the Mogollon Rim, destroyed more than 400 structures, caused more than $28 million in damage and forced more than 30,000 to evacuate several communities.
The Rodeo-Chediski Fire in 2002
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Smoke from the Rodeo Fire outside Show Low, Ariz., creates an eerie effect as it drifts through the trees on Friday, June 21, 2002. In the end, the Rodeo fire connected with the Chediski Fire and consumed 468,638 acres around the Mogollon Rim, destroyed more than 400 buildings, caused more than $28 million in damage and forced more than 30,000 to evacuate several communities.
The Rodeo-Chediski Fire in 2002
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Its canopy now gone, a section of a winding dirt road is exposed by the Rodeo Fire outside Show Low, Ariz., on Friday, June 21,2002.
The Rodeo-Chediski Fire in 2002
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Dan Ioli of Tri City Fire District creates a fire line in the backyard of a residence in Fool's Hollow, west of Show Low.
The Rodeo-Chediski Fire in 2002
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Northwest Fire and Rescue's Melanie O'Daniel turns away from the heat of burning ponderosa pines. The large flare-up jumped over U.S. Forest Service Road 322 after winds changed 180 degrees.
The Rodeo-Chediski Fire in 2002
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A home is engulfed in flames at Willow Avenue and Elm Street in Pinedale as Northwest Fire and Rescue and other crews did structure control in Pinedale.
The Rodeo-Chediski Fire in 2002
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A Pinedale home burns in this dramatic glimpse of the Rodeo-Chediski Fire.
The Rodeo-Chediski Fire in 2002
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Northwest Fire and Rescue's Melanie O'Daniel, left, and Jackie Janton spray foam on the house of Aripine resident Harry Newman as fire approaches. The house was saved after a back burn.
The Rodeo-Chediski Fire in 2002
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Task leader Dave La Tour of Northwest Fire and Rescue surveys hot spots in Timberland Acres outside Show Low, Ariz.
The Rodeo-Chediski Fire in 2002
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With the Rodeo Fire and smoke looming behind her, Show Low resident Mary Gordon packs up personal belongings before evacuating.
The Rodeo-Chediski Fire in 2002
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Dave La Tour of Northwest Fire removes hot debris from a home in the Fool's Hollow area near Linden, west of Show Low.
The Rodeo-Chediski Fire in 2002
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A truck sits next to a house that still smolders in the Fool's Hollow residential area of Linden, a town just west of Show Low, Ariz.
Rick Wiley
Photo editor
As featured on
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