Rodeo–Chediski Fire

Coordinates: 34°15′N 110°30′W / 34.250°N 110.500°W / 34.250; -110.500
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Rodeo–Chediski Fire
rural
Impacts
Structures destroyed426[2]
Ignition
Causearson, accidental
Perpetrator(s)Leonard Gregg, Valinda Jo Elliott
Map
Rodeo–Chediski fires on July 1, 2002, as seen from NASA's ER-2 aircraft

The Rodeo–Chediski Fire was a

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

arsonist
was arrested on June 29 and was later charged. By early evening, around 1,200 acres (1.9 sq mi; 490 ha) were ablaze. Increasing wind speeds fed the fire to over 2,000 acres (3.1 sq mi; 810 ha) by the following morning, and when wind speeds increased to around 25 miles per hour (40 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

quad rider, Valinda Jo Elliott, trying to signal a news helicopter
. Similarly fed by the strong winds, this fire spread to 2,000 acres (3.1 sq mi; 810 ha) by mid-afternoon, and by the following morning it covered over 14,000 acres (22 sq mi; 5,700 ha).

By June 21, the Rodeo Fire had consumed around 150,000 acres (230 sq mi; 61,000 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 300,000 acres (470 sq mi; 120,000 ha) of woodland.

The fire's progress slowed after the two merged and by June 26 the fire was 5% contained by backburning, line building, and aerial retardant drops – protecting the settlements of Clay Springs, Linden and Pinedale, but 462,600 acres (722.8 sq mi; 187,200 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.[1] 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

A view of the fire from Bison Ranch in Heber-Overgaard, Arizona

Restoration

Of the woodlands affected, 280,992 acres (439.050 sq mi; 113,713 ha) (60.0%) was part of the Fort Apache Indian Reservation. Of the rest, 167,215 acres (261.273 sq mi; 67,670 ha) (35.7%) was in the Apache–Sitgreaves National Forests and 10,667 acres (16.667 sq mi; 4,317 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.[5]

After the fire, efforts were made to stabilize the landscape by

K-rails
were put in place and there were over two weeks of aerial seeding, dropping around 50,000,000 pounds (23,000 t) of winter wheat or indigenous grass seeds over 180,000 acres (280 sq mi; 73,000 ha).

Political consequences

Political figures, including Senator

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 White Mountain Apache tribal court.[8] In 2014 the court ruled that she was liable for $1650 in civil penalties and $57,000,000 in restitution to the tribe.[9]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Fact Sheet: Healthy Forests Initiative Update for Arizona" (PDF). United States Forest Service. 2003-08-11. Retrieved 2010-11-01.
  2. ^ a b http://www.floa.org/rodeo_chediski/fire_photos12.htm Rodeo-Chediski fire, Forest lakes owners association
  3. ^ 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
  4. ^ "Chediski Peak".
  5. ^ Ffolliott, P.F. et al. (2011). The 2002 Rodeo-Chediski Wildfire’s Impacts on Southwestern Ponderosa Pine Ecosystems, Hydrology, and Fuels. Fort Collins, Colo.: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station.
  6. Arizona Republic
    , p. B9
  7. ^ "Grand Canyon Sierra Club Alert! 2002 Environmental Report Card". arizona.sierraclub.org. Archived from the original on 2002-08-02.
  8. Arizona Republic
    . Retrieved 2010-11-01.
  9. ^ Independent, Michael Johnson The (16 June 2017). "Rodeo-Chediski Fire underscored need to thin forest".

External links

34°15′N 110°30′W / 34.250°N 110.500°W / 34.250; -110.500