Cave Creek Complex Wildfire
2005 wildfire in Arizona, United States
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 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.
The largest recorded saguaro cactus — standing at 46 feet tall and having a base circumference of 7 feet, 10 inches — was also injured in this fire, and later collapsed.
Bibliography
(2005). "FEMA Authorizes Funds To Help Arizona Fight Cave Creek Complex[link removed]." FEMA.gov. Retrieved September 8.
(2005).
The public source identifies “Cave Creek Complex Wildfire” as 2005 wildfire in Arizona, United States. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Cave, Creek and Complex.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Cave Creek Complex Wildfire”, the useful work is to connect “2005 wildfire in Arizona, United States” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 25, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q14680306. Authority coordinates are 33.978, -111.785. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2005.
A concise general-reference account can conceal disagreements about scope, terminology or the weight assigned to individual sources. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Cave Creek Complex Wildfire”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Cave Creek Complex Wildfire primary sources, Cave Creek Complex Wildfire archive and Cave research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Cave Creek Complex Wildfire”?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
- Which institution is responsible for the underlying evidence?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Cave Creek Complex Wildfire” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.