View source for Rodeo–Chediski Fire

{{Short description|2002 wildfire in Arizona, USA}}
{{Use American English|date=May 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox wildfire
|title= Rodeo–Chediski Fire
|image= Rodeo-Chediski Fire.jpg
|caption= Rodeo–Chediski fires on June 28, 2002, as seen from the [[Landsat 7]] satellite
|location= [[Coconino County, Arizona|Coconino]] and [[Navajo County, Arizona|Navajo]] counties, [[Arizona]]
|date= {{Unbulleted list|June 18, 2002 – |July 7, 2002}}
|time=
|timezone=
|acres=  {{convert|468638|acre|sqmi ha}}<ref name=USFS/>
|cause = [[arson]], accidental
|landuse= [[forest]], [[rural]]
|buildings = 426<ref name="floa.org"/>
|fatalities=
|injuries=
|perps= Leonard Gregg, Valinda Jo Elliott
|motive=
|image_map={{maplink|frame=yes|frame-align=center|frame-width=250|frame-height=|from=2002 Rodeo–Chediski Fire.map|frame-latitude=34.25|frame-longitude=-110.49|zoom=8|text=Perimeter of Rodeo–Chediski Fire ([[c:Data:2002 Rodeo–Chediski Fire.map|map data]])}}
}}

[[Image:rodeo chediski fire.jpg|thumb|right|Rodeo–Chediski fires on July 1, 2002, as seen from [[NASA]]'s [[Lockheed U-2#ER-2 details|ER-2]] aircraft]]
The '''Rodeo–Chediski Fire''' was a [[wildfire]] that burned in east-central [[Arizona]] beginning on June 18, 2002, and was not controlled until July 7.<ref name="floa.org">http://www.floa.org/rodeo_chediski/fire_photos12.htm Rodeo-Chediski fire, Forest lakes owners association</ref> It was the worst forest fire in Arizona's [[recorded history]] until June 14, 2011 when the [[Wallow Fire]] surpassed it.<ref>http://www.abc15.com/dpp/news/region_northern_az/other/wallow-fire-now-largest-wildfire-in-recorded-arizona-history Wallow fire now largest in recorded Arizona history</ref>  Several local communities, including [[Show Low, Arizona|Show Low]], [[Pinetop-Lakeside, AZ|Pinetop-Lakeside]], [[Heber-Overgaard, AZ|Heber-Overgaard]], Clay Springs, and Pinedale, were threatened and had to be evacuated.

==Origin and development==
Initially, there were two separate fires. The first fire, the Rodeo, was reported on the afternoon of June 18 near the Rodeo Fairgrounds on the [[Fort Apache Indian Reservation]] by [[Cibecue, Arizona|Cibecue]]. An [[arsonist]] was arrested on June 29 and was later charged. By early evening, around {{convert|1200|acre|sqmi ha}} were ablaze. Increasing wind speeds fed the fire to over {{convert|2000|acre|sqmi ha}} by the following morning, and when wind speeds increased to around {{convert|25|mph|km/h}} the fire grew rapidly, increasing fourfold over the next three hours.

The Chediski Fire was first reported on the morning of June 20 near [[Chediski Peak]] east<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.google.com/maps/place/Chediski+Peak/@34.1669663,-110.8336156,11.25z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x872ecbb35702766f:0x43dfd7be28e9e01e!8m2!3d34.1833775!4d-110.6640091|title=Chediski Peak}}</ref> of Payson. It had been started by a stranded [[all terrain vehicle|quad]] rider, Valinda Jo Elliott, trying to signal a news [[helicopter]]. Similarly fed by the strong winds, this fire spread to {{convert|2000|acre|sqmi ha}} by mid-afternoon, and by the following morning it covered over {{convert|14000|acre|sqmi ha}}.

By June 21, the Rodeo Fire had consumed around {{convert|150000|acre|sqmi ha}}. Around 8,000 people were evacuated; by the end of the fire, around 30,000 people would be moved. The two burning areas approached through crosswinds over June 21 and June 22 as a further 11,000 people were ordered to leave their homes. The burning areas joined on June 23 having consumed around {{convert|300000|acre|sqmi ha}} of woodland.

The fire's progress slowed after the two merged and by June 26 the fire was 5% contained by [[Controlled burn|backburning]], line building, and aerial retardant drops – protecting the settlements of [[Clay Springs, Arizona|Clay Springs]], [[Linden, Arizona|Linden]] and [[Pinedale, Arizona|Pinedale]], but {{convert|462600|acre|sqmi ha}} had burned. The fire was 28% contained by June 28, but it was not fully under control until July 7 at a cost of $43.1 million.<ref name="USFS">{{cite web |url=http://www.fs.fed.us/projects/hfi/docs/fact-sheet-arizona.pdf|title=Fact Sheet: Healthy Forests Initiative Update for Arizona|date=2003-08-11|publisher=[[United States Forest Service]]|accessdate=2010-11-01}}</ref> 465 homes were destroyed in Pinedale and other small communities. The fire was declared a [[disaster area]]. RodeoFire.com was established at the fire's onset as a portal for concerned citizens and family members acting as an event update website.

==Aftermath==
[[File:Rodeo–Chediski Fire.jpg|thumb|right|A view of the fire from Bison Ranch in [[Heber-Overgaard, Arizona]]]]

===Restoration===

Of the [[woodland]]s affected, {{convert|280992|acre|sqmi ha}} (60.0%) was part of the [[Fort Apache Indian Reservation]]. Of the rest, {{convert|167215|acre|sqmi ha}} (35.7%) was in the [[Apache–Sitgreaves National Forests]] and {{convert|10667|acre|sqmi ha}} (2.3%) in the [[Tonto National Forest]]. The remaining destruction occurred on private land. The fire damaged or destroyed ecosystem resources, disrupted hydrologic functioning, and altered the loadings of flammable fuels on much of the ponderosa pine forest that was exposed to the burn.<ref>Ffolliott, P.F. et al. (2011). [https://purl.fdlp.gov/GPO/gpo12941 The 2002 Rodeo-Chediski Wildfire’s Impacts on Southwestern Ponderosa Pine Ecosystems, Hydrology, and Fuels.]  Fort Collins, Colo.: [[United States Department of Agriculture|U.S. Dept. of Agriculture]], [[United States Forest Service|Forest Service]], Rocky Mountain Research Station.</ref>

After the fire, efforts were made to stabilize the landscape by [[burned area emergency response]] teams. [[Waterbar]]s, [[wikt:wattle|wattle]]s and [[K-rails]] were put in place and there were over two weeks of aerial seeding, dropping around {{convert|50000000|lb|t}} of winter wheat or indigenous grass seeds over {{convert|180000|acre|sqmi ha}}.

===Political consequences===

Political figures, including Senator [[Jon Kyl]] of Arizona, blamed the fire on "radical [[environmentalists]]" and their opposition to logging to thin the forests.<ref>{{citation|title=Environmental Activists Place Forests At Risk|author=Kyl, Jon|date=2002-06-26|work=[[Arizona Republic]]|page=B9|authorlink=Jon Kyl}}</ref> The [[Sierra Club]] responded by saying they have long supported the thinning of underbrush and small trees through [[controlled burn]]s, not the [[logging]] of large trees.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://arizona.sierraclub.org/pr_and_alerts/pr_and_alerts_2002/alert_06-22-02.asp |title=Grand Canyon Sierra Club Alert! 2002 Environmental Report Card |website=arizona.sierraclub.org |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020802105827/http://arizona.sierraclub.org/pr_and_alerts/pr_and_alerts_2002/alert_06-22-02.asp |archive-date=2002-08-02}}</ref> But this fire, among other devastating drought-year fires in the [[American West]], helped propel new forest management laws, enacted by both the [[U.S. Congress]] and local authorities. Of these the most notable is the [[Healthy Forests Restoration Act]], which President [[George W. Bush]] signed into law in 2003. Although these policies presented high-profile, short-term solutions, the [[ecological]] effects of these policies are hotly debated among forestry experts.

===Legal actions===

The arsonist, who received a 10-year prison sentence in March 2004, was Leonard Gregg, a Cibecue resident who worked as a seasonal firefighter for the tribal fire department. He told investigators he had set two fires that morning (the first was quickly put out) in hopes of getting hired by the federal [[Bureau of Indian Affairs]] for a quick-response fire crew. Gregg had previously worked as a BIA fire crew member, and was indeed among the first to be called in to fight the Rodeo Fire.

The stranded motorist, Valinda Jo Elliott, who started the Chediski portion of the fire was not charged with arson by the US Attorney's office, much to the anger of local residents and the tribe. In 2009, a judge ruled that she is eligible to be tried in a civil suit in the [[Fort Apache Indian Reservation|White Mountain Apache tribal court]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/2009/05/17/20090517fireappeal0517.html|title=Tribal attorney: Fire starter will get fair civil-case trial|author=Fonesca, Felicia|date=2009-05-17|work=[[Arizona Republic]]|accessdate=2010-11-01}}</ref>  In 2014 the court ruled that she was liable for $1650 in civil penalties and $57,000,000 in restitution to the tribe.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wmicentral.com/news/apache_county/rodeo-chediski-fire-underscored-need-to-thin-forest/article_b86b09ae-b995-555a-b3af-d072dc7e6e17.html|title=Rodeo-Chediski Fire underscored need to thin forest|first=Michael Johnson The|last=Independent|date=16 June 2017 }}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Hayman Fire]] of 2002, a concurrent large wildfire in [[Colorado]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Commons category-inline}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070101190331/http://www.usgsquads.com/downloads/maps/rodeo.pdf Chediski-Rodeo Fire map] –

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{{Arizona wildfires}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rodeo-Chediski Fire}}
[[Category:2002 wildfires in the United States]]
[[Category:2002 in Arizona]]
[[Category:Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests]]
[[Category:Arson in Arizona]]
[[Category:Tonto National Forest]]
[[Category:Wildfires in Arizona]]
[[Category:Arson in 2002]]
[[Category:Wildfires caused by arson]]
[[Category:June 2002 crimes in the United States]]
[[Category:July 2002 crimes in the United States]]