It was late summer when a monsoon storm rolled into Tucson. The first crack of lightning lit up the desert sky, and within minutes, flames ignited in the buffelgrass covering a nearby hillside. The fire spread quickly, racing toward homes before firefighters could contain it. The homeowners were lucky this time—but the story is a sobering reminder of how quickly wildfire can strike in the Sonoran Desert, especially during summer heat and monsoon lightning storms.