Please see the following press release from the Coconino National Forest regarding the Pocket Fire.
Know your evacuation zone by going to www.sedonaaz.gov/ready.
(Flagstaff, AZ, June 20, 2026)—More resources have arrived to help with suppression efforts on the roughly 500-acre Pocket Fire located about 7 miles north of Sedona in the Oak Creek Canyon area.
Evacuations remain in effect in the Oak Creek Canyon area and state Route 89A remains closed between Fort Tuthill and the north end of Sedona. Woody Mountain Road (Forest Road [FR] 231) is closed past Forest Road 536. A formal closure order for the area surrounding the Pocket Fire is expected to be established soon.
The latest evacuation information can be obtained from Coconino County at coconino.az.gov/ready and the latest road closure information can be obtained from the Arizona Department of Transportation at az511.com.
Resources assigned to the fire include seven Hotshot crews, one dozer, 13 engines, miscellaneous overhead, six helicopters and air attack, with more expected to arrive over the course of today.
Northern Arizona Type 3 Incident Management Team assumed command of the fire at 6 a.m., and Southwest Area Incident Management Team 2 has been ordered to assume command of the fire shortly afterward.
The suppression strategy of the Pocket Fire includes the use of a direct extinguishment strategy to confine the Pocket Fire to as small a perimeter as possible as quickly as possible. Firefighters will take a direct approach against the edge of the fire by building containment lines when and where it is safe to do so, and will use indirect confinement tactics, such as firing operations, where necessary to provide for firefighter safety.
Incident objectives at this time include keeping the fire west of state Route 89A, south of FR 535 and south and east of FR 231.
Firefighters spent Friday evening using a dozer to establish fire line on the northeast side of the fire perimeter and using aerial resources to drop retardant on the east portion of the fire.
Fire behavior remained active late into Friday night, and dry and windy conditions expected throughout the weekend will likely exacerbate fire behavior.
Crews plan to spend Saturday holding and strengthening dozer line constructed last night while bringing that dozer line in northwest direction. Firefighters are also working protect East Pocket Lookout Tower.
Aviation resources will continue working on the eastern perimeter of the fire, and firefighters positioned at both Slide Rock State Park and Seven Canyons Golf Club are working to protect values at risk in Oak Creek Canyon.
A Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) is in effect surrounding the fire area. The public is asked to refrain from nearby drone use. Drones pose a serious risk to firefighters and can impede aerial firefighting operations.
The fire was first reported 5 p.m. June 19. Its cause is undetermined.
About the Forest Service: The Forest Service has brought people and communities together to answer the call of conservation for more than 100 years. Grounded in world-class science and technology—and rooted in communities—the Forest Service connects people to nature and recreation opportunities. The agency manages 193 million acres of public land, supports the nation’s forest industry and energy needs, and operates the largest and most respected wildland fire and forestry research organizations in the world. By providing assistance to state and private landowners and working with Tribes and other partners, the Forest Service also helps steward an additional 900 million forested acres within the U.S.
