Rodeo–Chediski Fire

Rodeo–Chediski Fire
Rodeo–Chediski fires on June 28, 2002, as seen from the Landsat 7 satellite
Date(s)
  • June 18, 2002 –
  • July 7, 2002
LocationCoconino and Navajo counties, Arizona
Statistics
Burned area468,638 acres (732.247 sq mi; 189,651 ha)
Land useforest, rural
Impacts
Structures destroyed426
Ignition
Causearson, accidental
Perpetrator(s)Leonard Gregg, Valinda Jo Elliott
Map

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. It was the worst forest fire in Arizona's recorded history until June 14, 2011 when the Wallow Fire surpassed it. Several local communities, including Show Low, Pinetop-Lakeside, Heber-Overgaard, Clay Springs, and Pinedale, were threatened and had to be evacuated.