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Visit our: Rim Country
Tribute Pages! Cover Story: On June 18, 2002, a forest fire was spotted just northeast of the community of Cibique below the Mogollon Rim on the Fort Apache Reservation . By day's end the fire, known as the Rodeo fire, had grown to more than 300 acres. By June 19 the fire had grown substantially and had become a major threat with flames reaching some 300 feet into the sky with temperatures as high as 2000 degrees fahrenhiet. With the blaze burning out of control, fire crews were forced to retreat from the front lines. As the Rodeo fire pushed north, residents of Clay Springs, Pinedale and Linden were evacuated and Highway 260 was closed. By June 20, the fire had burned a staggering 30,000 acres with no signs of backing down. Enormous fire plumes filled the sky and were visible from Metro Phoenix. Smoke from the fire stretching for miles caused flight restrictions in some areas. That afternoon, a lost hiker set a signal fire near Chediski Peak, also below the Mogollon Rim, southeast of Heber and Overgaard. The hiker was rescued by a media helicopter, but the new fire quickly began to spread northward. As crews made attempts to construct a fire line along Forest Road 300 the residents of Heber and Overgaard were warned of a possible evacuation and within hours were forced from their homes.
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