Please see the following announcement from the U.S. Forest Service regarding the Pocket Fire. Note: they will be holding a public meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 25 at Sinagua Middle School, 3950 E Butler Ave, Flagstaff. They are tentatively planning a public meeting in Sedona at 7 p.m. on Saturday, 6/27 at the High School with more details to come.
Know your evacuation zone by going to www.sedonaaz.gov/ready.
Acres: 691 Start
Date: June 19, 2026
Location: 7 miles north of Sedona, Arizona
Cause: Undetermined
Personnel: 678
Fuels: Timber and Brush
Containment: 0%
Highlights: Fire managers are preparing for upcoming critical fire weather conditions and an anticipated uptick in fire behavior by securing areas a safe distance from the fire perimeter using a combination of hand line, dozer line, existing fire scars, rock outcroppings and other man-made and geographic barriers.
Public Meeting: A public meeting will be held 7 p.m. Thursday, June 25 at Sinagua Middle School, 3950 E Butler Ave, Flagstaff. Team members and local authorities will speak and be available for questions from attendees. American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation and captioning will be provided. The meetings will be live streamed on the Coconino National Forest Facebook page:
U.S. Forest Service - Coconino National Forest.
Operations: Tuesday, several spot fires were detected across Forest Road 231 to the north of the main fire perimeter. Night shift was able to suppress those immediately, the largest of them reaching a half-acre. Fire managers are preparing the entire perimeter of the fire for expected extreme fire behavior expected this weekend. Tuesday, crews continued work on Forest Road 231 to provide a robust firebreak. In Oak Creek Canyon, hotshots built handline and reopened lines established during the 2014 Slide Fire. Other crews built containment lines to the south of the fire to protect values closer to Sedona. Additional dip tanks were placed in strategic points in the fire area to supply helicopters with water. Aircraft, whether dropping retardant or water, cannot by themselves extinguish a growing wildfire. They give firefighters on the ground time to prepare measures to defend against further fire spread. The current Pocket Fire footprint is too steep to safely put firefighters on the ground. In addition to keeping ground crews out, this terrain makes aircraft less effective. Tuesday’s localized winds and lightning strikes suspended aerial operations. Forecasted storms later this week could force additional suspensions of aerial operations as well.
Evacuations and Closures: Oak Creek Canyon between Sedona and Forest Highlands is in SET evacuation order but is open only to residents who can prove their identity and residency. Find the Coconino County Evacuation Map, at
emergency-management-operations-coconinocounty.hub.arcgis.com. If you have questions about the evacuation order, call the Coconino County Sheriff’s office: 928-774-4523. A portion of Coconino National Forest around the fire remains closed to the public to ensure safety of the public and firefighters. For more details, including a closure area map, visit:
fs.usda.gov/r03/coconino/alerts/pocket-fire-closure-order-effect. State Route 89A is closed from Sedona to Ft. Tuthill. Woody Mountain Road (FR 231) is closed. Road closure information can be found by visiting:
az511.com. For more information on the READY, SET, GO! evacuation system, visit:
ein.az.gov/ready-set-go. A Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) is in effect surrounding the fire area. This is to ensure safety of firefighting aircraft. For more information, visit:
tfr.faa.gov/tfr3/?page=detail_6_9455. Remember: If you fly, we can’t!
Weather: Today, temperatures will range from the high 80s to 100 degrees, depending on elevation. Scattered showers or occasional thunderstorms are possible, but no measurable moisture is expected. Winds will be primarily southwest and increase as the day proceeds. Gusts could reach 26 mph. From Friday through Sunday, the National Weather Service’s Flagstaff office has issued a severe fire weather warning with wind gusts reaching 45 mph.
Safety: Crews and heavy equipment remain very active on SR 89A. Residents returning to their homes in Oak Creek Canyon should drive cautiously around switchbacks and blind curves as fire traffic and large vehicles will have an increased presence on the road. Slow speeds are advised to ensure motorist and firefighter safety.
Smoke: The area is experiencing good-to-moderate air quality but changes in fire activity could change those conditions. For more information, visit
outlooks.airfire.org/outlook/760194b8.
Phone Number: 928-260-0543 (7a.m. - 7p.m.)
