A look back at the Bighorn Fire in photos
The Bighorn Fire consumed much of the Santa Catalina mountain range after an innocuous lightning strike late on June 5, 2020. It became a daily spectacle – visible from the Tucson area – as it methodically marched from West to East, finally enveloping burned and unburned Ponderosa pines around Summerhaven. It backed into the foothills on all sides of the range, threatening grasslands, ranch land, Catalina State Park and hundreds of homes. It was indefensible and inaccessible as it burned the rugged Pusch Ridge Wilderness Area. So it became an air war, a choreographed ballet of jet air tankers and helicopters dropping hundreds of thousands of gallons of water and fire retardant to slow or redirect the fire's progress. When it finally stalled, the fire had burned 119,978 acres. It was declared 100-percent contained on July 23.
Bighorn Fire in the Santa Catalina Mountains, 2020
A DC-10 air tanker or VLAT (Very Large Air Tanker) dumps thousands of gallons of retardant on the Bighorn Fire burning along Pusch Ridge in Coronado National Forest east of Rams Canyon subdivision on June 6, 2020.
Bighorn Fire - Arizona
A Chinook heavy lift helicopter passes smoke from the Bighorn Fire burning along Pusch Ridge in Coronado National Forest north of Tucson on June 6, 2020.
Bighorn Fire in the Santa Catalina Mountains, 2020
Smoke from the Bighorn Fire shrouds granite formations of Pusch Ridge in Coronado National Forest north of Tucson on June 6, 2020.
Bighorn Fire - Arizona
People watch the aerial ballet of helicopters and air tankers on the Bighorn Fire from the safety of Oro Valley Marketplace on June 7, 2020.
Bighorn Fire - Arizona
A DC-10 air tanker spreads a line of retardant high atop Pusch Ridge as fire managers tried in vain to keep the the Bighorn Fire confined to the West end of the Santa Catalina Mountains in Coronado National Forest north of Tucson on June 6, 2020.
Bighorn Fire - Arizona
The Bighorn Fire burning above Catalina State Park in the Santa Catalina Mountains in Coronado National Forest north of Tucson on June 7, 2020.
Bighorn Fire - Arizona
Dark smoke from the Bighorn Fire in the upper elevations of Pima Canyon obscures the rising sun above the Santa Catalina Mountains in Coronado National Forest north of Tucson on June 9, 2020.
Bighorn Fire in the Santa Catalina Mountains, 2020
A helicopter dips into Rose Canyon Lake for water while fighting the Bighorn Fire still burning in the west end fo the Santa Catalina Mountains on June 9, 2020.
Bighorn Fire - Arizona
The Bighorn Fire consumes thick vegetation in crags above Pima Canyon within the Santa Catalina Mountains in Coronado National Forest north of Tucson on June 9, 2020.
Bighorn Fire in the Santa Catalina Mountains, 2020
A Chinook helicopter drops a load of water on the Bighorn Fire as is moves into the top of Finger Rock Canyon and up Mount Kimball, on June 10, 2020.
Bighorn Fire in the Santa Catalina Mountains, 2020
The Bighorn Fire burns up into juniper, mesquite and heavier fuel as it approaches Mt. Kimball in the Santa Catalina Mountains, Tucson, Ariz., June 10, 2020.
Bighorn Fire - Arizona
Adam Hutton with the Smokey Bear Hotshots of Ruidoso, New Mexico tosses away brush being cut near the mouth of Finger Rock Canyon as a precaution against the growing Bighorn Fire being fought in the Santa Catalina Mountain Range, on June 10, 2020.
Bighorn Fire in the Santa Catalina Mountains, 2020
The Bighorn Fire breaks onto the southern slopes of the Santa Catalina Mountains and burns over a pair of homes in the foothills just west of the Finger Rock Trailhead, Tucson, Ariz., June 10, 2020.
Bighorn Fire - Arizona
The Bighorn Fire churns through brush, creating a smoky mess in Pima Canyon and Finger Rock Canyon in the Santa Catalina Mountains north of Tucson on June 11, 2020.
Bighorn Fire in the Santa Catalina Mountains, 2020
A DC-10 air tanker (VLAT) drops fire retardant behind homes in the Cobblestone Estate during the Bighorn Fire in the Santa Catalina Mountains on June 11, 2020.
Bighorn Fire in the Santa Catalina Mountains, 2020
Residents watch a Neptune Aviation air tanker drop fire retardant behind the Santa Catalina foothills north of Tucson, Ariz. on June 11, 2020.
Bighorn Fire - Arizona
A hot shot fire crew hikes a ridge near Finger Rock Canyon in the Santa Catalina Mountains during the Bighorn Fire on June 11, 2020.
Bighorn Fire in the Santa Catalina Mountains, 2020
Keith Lencke of the Blue Ridge Hotshots watches the air attack on the Bighorn Fire in the Cobblestone Estates neighborhood in the Santa Catalina foothills on June 11, 2020.
Bighorn Fire in the Santa Catalina Mountains, 2020
Qin Chen talks with Tom Lemmons of the Pima County Sheriff's Office Auxiliary, about "Go" orders given to evacuate her home in the Cobblestone Estates neighborhood due to the Bighorn Fire in the Santa Catalina Mountains on June 11, 2020.
Bighorn Fire in the Santa Catalina Mountains, 2020
A Chinook helicopter dumps water on a slope during the Bighorn Fire in the Santa Catalina Mountains on June 11, 2020. Pinkish-red fire retardant coats the rock faces of the mountain range.
Bighorn Fire - Arizona
A DC-10 air tanker (VLAT) drops a line of retardant on a ridge above homes east of Pima Canyon in the Santa Catalina foothills during the Bighorn Fire on June 11, 2020.
Bighorn Fire in the Santa Catalina Mountains, 2020
A DC-10 VLAT makes a final drop in the fading light over the homes in the area between Swan and Alvernon during the daylong struggle to keep the Bighorn Fire out of the neighborhoods of the Santa Catalina Mountain foothills, Tucson, Ariz., June 11, 2020.
Bighorn Fire in the Santa Catalina Mountains, 2020
People watch from Oracle Road just north of the entrance to Catalina State Park as Chinook helicopters drop water on the Bighorn Fire which is burning for its seventh day in the western Santa Catalina mountain range, on June 12, 2020.
Bighorn Fire in the Santa Catalina Mountains, 2020
Smoke billows from the Bighorn Fire burning in the Pusch Ridge Wilderness, on June 12, 2020.
Bighorn Fire in the Santa Catalina Mountains, 2020
Two firefighting helicopters maneuver around one another while recharging at a dip site as the battle moves to the north to keep the Bighorn Fire from spreading, Oro Valley, Ariz., June 11, 2020.
Bighorn Fire in the Santa Catalina Mountains, 2020
A DC-10 VLAT drops below the ridge line as the aerial battle moves to the northwest and crews work to keep the Bighorn Fire from spreading through Catalina State Park, Oro Valley, Ariz., June 11, 2020.
Bighorn Fire in the Santa Catalina Mountains, 2020
A Chinook helicopter drops water on the line of flames advancing through grasslands at the northwestern foot of the Santa Catalinas as crews work to keep the Bighorn Fire from spreading through Catalina State Park, Oro Valley, Ariz., June 11, 2020.
Bighorn Fire in the Santa Catalina Mountains, 2020
The Bighorn Fire's northwestern front looms over homes as it burns into the central Santa Catalina Mountains, Oro Valley, Ariz., June 13, 2020.
Bighorn Fire in the Santa Catalina Mountains, 2020
A group of friends hangout on a high rock at Windy Point Vista while smoke from the Bighorn Fire flows over Mount Lemmon north of Tucson, Ariz. on June 14, 2020.
Bighorn Fire in the Santa Catalina Mountains, 2020
A Pima County Sheriff Auxiliary Volunteer motions for a four-wheel drive Type 3 fire engine from Three Points FD to proceed to Mount Lemmon on the Catalina Highway on June 15, 2020..
Arizona Wildfires
A DC-10 air tanker drops fire retardant along Samaniego Ridge just west of Mt. Lemmon Sky Center during the Bighorn Fire burning west of Mt. Lemmon in the Santa Catalina Mountains north of Tucson on June 16, 2020.
Bighorn Fire in the Santa Catalina Mountains, 2020
A Sikorsky firefighting helicopter drops water along a ridge top as the flames from the Bighorn Fire work their way onto the northern slopes of the Santa Catalina Mountains, Tucson, Ariz., June 16, 2020.
Bighorn Fire in the Santa Catalina Mountains, 2020
The same wind whipping the flags outside the Fairfield Inn & Suites on Oracle Road is whipping up the flames and smoke of the Bighorn Fire, Oro Valley, Ariz., June 17, 2020.
Bighorn Fire in the Santa Catalina Mountains, 2020
Flames break through the smoke as a finger of the Bighorn Fire scorches its way through a canyon on the west side of the Santa Catalina Mountains above Oro Valley on June 17, 2020.
Bighorn Fire in the Santa Catalina Mountains, 2020
People use a wildlife exit along Oracle Road to get a view of the Bighorn Fire churning through heavy fuels like Ponderosa pines below Summerhaven on June 17, 2020.
Bighorn Fire in the Santa Catalina Mountains, 2020
The Bighorn Fire became of machine of heat and wind, consuming incinerating large stands of trees on June 17, 2020.
Bighorn Fire in the Santa Catalina Mountains, 2020
A firefighting helicopter flies over a smoke filled canyon as it shuttles water to a line between the Bighorn Fire and Oracle, Tucson, Ariz., June 18, 2020.
Bighorn Fire in the Santa Catalina Mountains, 2020
The Bighorn Fire burning in Ventana Canyon in the Santa Catalina Mountains as the fire became a daily spectacle, viewable from nearly anywhere in Tucson, on June 18, 2020.
Bighorn Fire in the Santa Catalina Mountains, 2020
Traffic on Sabino Canyon Road drives under the glow of he Bighorn Fire as it claims Ventana Canyon on the south slopes of the Santa Catalina Mountains on June 19, 2020.
Bighorn Fire in the Santa Catalina Mountains, 2020
Flames on the outer eastern walls of Ventana Canyon as the Bighorn Fire continues burning the Santa Catalina Mountains on June 20, 2020.
Bighorn Fire in the Santa Catalina Mountains, 2020
Smoke would lay-in over the city on days with calm winds as the Bighorn Fire methodically progressed through he Santa Catalina range. Photo taken on June 21, 2020 from "A" Mountain.
Bighorn Fire in the Santa Catalina Mountains, 2020
Flames from the Bighorn Fire climb over a ridge near Esperero Canyon, silhouetting a stand of Saguaros as the blaze marches east on June 23, 2020.
Bighorn Fire in the Santa Catalina Mountains, 2020
Smoke from the Bighorn Fire clings to the foothills of the eastern slopes of the Santa Catalina and Rincon mountains and the cottonwood-willow forest and mesquite bosque running along the San Pedro River Valley, Cascabel, Ariz., June 30, 2020.
Bighorn Fire in the Santa Catalina Mountains, 2020
Bighorn Fire scar area: Cañada del Oro basin looking south at Sanmaniego Ridge in the Santa Catalina Mountains north of Tucson on July 1, 2020. The summit of Mt Lemmon is at left.
Bighorn Fire in the Santa Catalina Mountains, 2020
Bighorn Fire scar area: Looking from East Ski Run toward Oracle Ridge, left, and Sanmaniego Ridge, right, in the Santa Catalina Mountains north of Tucson on July 10, 2020.
Bighorn Fire in the Santa Catalina Mountains, 2020
Summerhaven sits like an island surrounded Bighorn Fire scar and Aspen Fire scar from 2003 in these aerial photos from July 15, 2020. The Mt. Lemmon Fire Station and control road jut out from a U-shaped turn of Mt. Lemmon Highway at upper left.
Bighorn Fire in the Santa Catalina Mountains, 2020
Bighorn Fire scar area: Charred debris from the Bighorn Fire moves down the Cañada del Oro Wash after a monsoon storm on July 15, 2020.
Bighorn Fire in the Santa Catalina Mountains, 2020
A burned section of the Catalina Mountains seen near Aspen Vista Point, on Aug. 1, 2020.
Bighorn Fire in the Santa Catalina Mountains, 2020
Deymo Fernandez, left, and Sara Hernandez, look at a burn scar from the Bighorn Fire on the North side of Mount Lemmon outside the Iron Door Restaurant in Mount Lemmon on August 2, 2020..
Bighorn Fire in the Santa Catalina Mountains, 2020
The burn scar from the Bighorn Fire on a portion of the North side of Mount Lemmon, as seen from the Mount Lemmon Fire Station on August 2, 2020.
Bighorn Fire in the Santa Catalina Mountains, 2020
Gregg Sasek, dispersed recreation manager for the Coronado National Forest Santa Catalina Ranger District, demonstrates how ground along the Palisade Trail has been burnt out making it easy for hikers to sink a leg into the soil, on Aug. 12, 2020. Various dangers are still being accessed throughout the Coronado National Forest as a result of the Bighorn Fire.
Bighorn Fire in the Santa Catalina Mountains, 2020
A sign at the entrance to the Pima Canyon Trail warns hikers of dangers after the Bighorn Fire damages hiking areas on September 30, 2020.
Bighorn Fire in the Santa Catalina Mountains, 2020
Snow covers a burn scar from the Bighorn Fire in the Santa Catalina Mountains outside of Summerhaven, Ariz. on Nov. 9, 2020. The Mt. Lemmon General Store in Summerhaven got about 1-2 inches of snow early Monday, according to the National Weather Service.
Bighorn Fire in the Santa Catalina Mountains, 2020
Damage from the Bighorn Fire can be seen along the Marshall Gulch Trail on Mt. Lemmon in Tucson, Ariz. on May 25, 2021.
Bighorn Fire in the Santa Catalina Mountains, 2020
Rosalind Perera walks along the Aspen Trail where damage from the Bighorn Fire can be seen on Mt. Lemmon in Tucson, Ariz. on May 25, 2021.
Bighorn Fire in the Santa Catalina Mountains, 2020
Damage from the Bighorn Fire can be seen along the Aspen Trail on Mt. Lemmon in Tucson, Ariz. on May 25, 2021.
Rick Wiley
Photo editor
Rebecca Sasnett
Photojournalist
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Photojournalist
Mamta Popat
Photojournalist
One year after the Bighorn Fire, research is now underway to understand its impacts and chart the future of the Catalina Mountains.
A portion of Catalina State Park burned by the Bighorn Fire is now being used as a living laboratory to study the impact of wildfire on desert plants.
So far, though, the ash and debris draining out of the fire-damaged mountains into washes is mild compared to last summer's black goo from the 2020 fire.
'I almost needed a machete' — burned areas brim with new growth after monsoonFor Star subscribers: Roughly one third of Catalina State Park was scorched by last year's Bighorn Fire. It will probably take 30 years for the desert to resemble what it looked like before the fire, assuming it ever does. But so far, the recovery — jumpstarted by the wet monsoon — looks promising.
For Star subscribers: The Bighorn Fire temporarily displaced the bighorn sheep herd in the Catalina Mountains, but wildlife officials found no evidence that any of the animals were caught up and killed by the flames. Drought probably impacted the herd more, reducing the survival rate of lambs.
More than a year after the Bighorn Fire tore through trails north of Tucson, volunteers work to reopen and stabilize paths, though hazards remain.
For Star subscribers: The draft Santa Catalina trail plan suggests more trails for the 250-mile trail system on the in the Santa Catalina Ranger District but also that some other to be removed.
Despite a gusty Monday, firefighters had a wildfire that grew to about 80 acres mostly under control by early Monday afternoon, officials said.
Firefighting efforts since Tuesday have helped keep the wildfire from growing overnight, officials said.
Large wildfires in the desert were once rare. Now experts worry that invasive plants and a changing fire cycle are putting our saguaros and our homes in danger.
About bout 23,000 acres of land across Arizona at risk for wildfires has been "treated'' since last July. That includes removing dry grasses and other fuels.
The video shared by Pima County shows debris flowing in the CDO Wash Aug. 10 after rain carried it from the burn scar in the Catalina Mountain…
Wet weather last year and the predicted hot, dry spring and summer are the reasons. Plus, Arizona is having trouble hiring wildland firefighters.