The Cave Creek Complex Wildfire was the third largest forest fire in the state of Arizona to date, after the Rodeo-Chediski fire and Wallow Fire.
History
The fire started on June 21, 2005 by a lightning strike from the raging monsoons and scorched 243,950 acres (987.2 km2).
Within an hour, the fire had already burned from 2,000 to 10,000 acres (8.1 to 40.5 km2).
When news agencies were covering the story, a FOX news affiliate captured video of the historic Cave Creek Mistress mine destroyed by the fire as soon as the fire touched it. The mine was a total loss.
Also in this fire, the largest recorded saguaro cactus, standing at 46 feet tall and having a base circumference of 7 feet, 10 inches, was injured, and later collapsed.
References
Cave Creek Complex Wildfire Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA