Photo gallery: June 23: Monument Fire
Photos show the devastation that greeted many evacuees when they returned to their homes.
Monument Fire
Qwest workers restore phone lines in the Ash Canyon area burned by the Monument Fire in Sierra Vista, Ariz., on Thursday June 23, 2011.
Monument Fire
Homeowner Michael Zehr walks the perimeter of his home on Mesquite Tree Lane that was completely burned by the Monument Fire last Sunday near Sierra Vista, Ariz., on Thursday June 23, 2011.
Monument Fire
Homeowner Michael Zehr surveys the damage to his home on Mesquite Tree Lane east of Hghway 92 that was completely burned by the Monument Fire last Sunday near Sierra Vista, Ariz., on Thursday June 23, 2011. Zehr Photo by Greg Bryan, Arizona Daily Star
Monument Fire
Homeowner Michael Zehr gets a hug from neighbor Nancy Vickrey in front of his burnt down house on Mesquite Tree Lane east of Highway 92 that was completely burned by the Monument Fire last Sunday near Sierra Vista, Ariz., on Thursday June 23, 2011.
Monument Fire
Former employee and current regular customer John Gravelle walks away from the burnt out remains of Nick's Place along Highway 92 in Sierra Vista, Ariz., on Thursday June 23, 2011. The business was one of a few burned by the Monument Fire on Sunday.
Monument Fire
Tom Green looks over the wreckage of his burnt out home in the Ash Canyon area in Sierra Vista, Ariz., on Thursday June 23, 2011. Green's home burned down during the Monument Fire. Residents were allowed back to their homes and Highway 92 was reopened. Photo by Greg Bryan, Arizona Daily Star
Monument Fire
Christopher Zehr looks where his bedroom used to be at his father's burnt house on Mesquite Tree Lane in Sierra Vista, Ariz., on Thursday June 23, 2011. The home was burned by the Monument Fire when it crossed Highway 92 on Sunday. Photo by Greg Bryan, Arizona Daily Star
Monument Fire
An empty sign and crumbled bricks are all that remain of Ricardo's Mexican Restaurant, one of a few business claimed by the Monument Fire, along Highway 92 in Sierra Vista, Ariz., on Thursday June 23, 2011.
Monument Fire
A sign marks the crumpled remains of Tom Green's burned out home in Ash Canyon after it was claimed by the Monument Fire last week in Sierra Vista, Ariz., on Thursday June 23, 2011. Photo by Greg Bryan, Arizona Daily Star
Monument Fire
Ash Canyon resident Mark Gibson talks with Traveler's Insurance claims adjuster Katie Culp about his pump house that burned in the Monument Fire last week in Sierra Vista, Ariz., on Thursday June 23, 2011. Gibson's house, visible in the top left photo, was untouched by the fire. Photo by Greg Bryan, Arizona Daily Star
Monument Fire
Rubble fills the chapel at Our Lady of the Sierras after it was claimed last week by the Monument Fire in Sierra Vista, Ariz., on Thursday June 23, 2011. Photo by Greg Bryan, Arizona Daily Star
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Christopher Zehr looks over his mother's burned up Ford Mustang outside his family's burned down home on Mesquite Tree Lane in Sierra Vista, Ariz., on Thursday June 23, 2011. The house burned when the Monument Fire jumped Highway 92 on Sunday.
Monument Fire
Two cars belonging to Ash Canyon resident Mark Gibson, a '65 Austin Healey Sprite and a '77 Porsche, sit devastated by the Monument Fire in Sierra Vista, Ariz., on Thursday June 23, 2011. Gibson's home was spared in the fire. Photo by Greg Bryan, Arizona Daily Star
Monument Fire
A low-intensity burnout area allows for vegetation to remain near Ramsey Canyon as the Monument Fire puts up a small amount of smoke in the Huachuca Mountains in Sierra Vista, Ariz., on Thursday June 23, 2011. Photo by Greg Bryan, Arizona Daily Star
Monument Fire
A dust devil whips through a burnout area to help control the Monument Fire near Ramsey Canyon in Sierra Vista, Ariz., on Thursday June 23, 2011. Photo by Greg Bryan, Arizona Daily Star
Crews working overnight conducted controlled burns, maintained fire lines and continued to patrol for hot spots in the Monument Fire, which has consumed more than 29,000 acres.