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. tonight, 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.
Daily Update: June 25, 2026
Acres: 1187
Start Date: June 19, 2026
Location: 7 miles north of Sedona, Arizona Cause: Undetermined
Personnel: 927 Fuels: Timber and Brush
Containment: 0%
Highlights: The combination of fuel, terrain and weather ensures that this fire will be on the landscape for some time. While much of the area received light rain showers on Wednesday afternoon, they were insufficient to extinguish the fire. Tomorrow begins three days of extreme fire weather under a Red Flag Warning.
Public Meeting: A public meeting will be held 7 tonight, June 25 at Sinagua Middle School, 3950 E Butler Ave, Flagstaff. Incident Management 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:
facebook.com/CoconinoNF. If you attend in person, please park on the north (back) side of the school.
Operations: Today crews will continue their work consolidating and strengthening defensive lines in anticipation of the upcoming extreme fire weather. Wednesday’s rain had little effect on the fire’s advance or intensity. Last night crews successfully burned on the north end of the fire, proactively building a catcher’s mitt since it is impossible for firefighters to do direct attack on this incident. More burning operations are planned for today, weather permitting. Fuels in the area have been dried by severe and long-lasting drought. Even after a heavy rain, fine fuels will be dry and receptive to fire an hour after sun exposure. Large diameter fuels would require weeks of rain to change their ability to burn. Before fire managers declare part of the fire perimeter contained, they make certain that no sources of heat are threatening that section. Usually, firefighters walk that part of the perimeter manually checking for heat. Additionally, aircraft equipped with extremely sensitive infrared (IR) cameras look for hot spots, measuring how far they are from the edge of the fire. On the Pocket Fire, the extremely tough terrain is preventing firefighters from manually checking the edge. IR flights have been made, but managers are not yet satisfied that any edge can be declared contained. The severe fire weather starting tomorrow will test all the defenses that crews have spent the last few days building.
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:
http://fs.usda.gov/.../pocket-fire-closure-order-effect. State Route 89A is closed between Sedona and Forest Highlands. Woody Mountain Road (Forest Road 231) is closed. For exact road closure locations, visit:
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: High temperatures around the fire today will be between 84 and 95 degrees, depending on elevation. Winds will be moderate, but gusts may reach 30 mph. Humidity will remain very low. Scattered thundershowers are possible, but little precipitation is expected. The National Weather Service has issued a Fire Weather Warning from 11 a.m. Friday through 8 p.m. Sunday. During this time, wind gusts may reach 50 mph and afternoon relative humidity may reach as low as 8%.
Safety: Some locations in the area are experiencing air quality that is “Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups.” This can change from hour to hour, so the public should remain vigilant. For more information, visit
outlooks.airfire.org/outlook/760194b8. 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.
Phone Number: 928-260-0543 (7a.m. - 7p.m.)
