Please see the following announcement from the U.S. Forest Service regarding the Pocket Fire. Note: the public meeting previously scheduled at 7 p.m., Monday, June 29 at Sedona Red Rock Middle School and High School has been moved to a virtual, Facebook live meeting at 7 p.m. at www.facebook.com/CoconinoNF.
Know your evacuation zone by going to www.sedonaaz.gov/ready.
Acres: 11,192
Start Date: June 19, 2026
Location: 7 miles north of Sedona, Arizona
Cause: Undetermined
Personnel: 913
Fuels: Timber and Brush
Containment: 0%
Highlights: Despite Red Flag conditions, firefighters held fire growth to a minimum. Ground crews and aircraft were employed to expand and reinforce contingency lines at strategic locations around the fire.
Public Meeting: The public meeting scheduled for tonight in Sedona has been postponed because of the current critical fire activity. Having the leadership of the team so far from the incident command post (ICP) would not serve the safety of the community or the firefighters. In place of the meeting in Sedona, the team will provide an online public meeting from the ICP. The meeting will be live streamed on the Coconino National Forest Facebook page:
U.S. Forest Service - Coconino National Forest. American Sign Language interpretation and closed captioning will be provided. Incident Management Team members and local authorities will speak and be available for questions from online viewers. The team is committed to having an in-person meeting in Sedona when conditions permit.
Operations: On Sunday, firefighters worked to hold the fire within the lines of the 2014 Slide Fire, Forest Road (FR) 535A and state Route (SR) 89A. Using everything from hand tools to heavy machinery, burnouts and aerial assets, they built a catcher’s mitt across and around the north arm of the fire. Last night they executed a burnout around Fernow Cabin to build stability into lines to the west. They continued to hold the parts of FR 231 that were not previously crossed. Structure groups continued building defensible space around buildings and infrastructure in the area. Aerial resources provided support until wind conditions grounded them. Large Aerial Tankers (LATs) dropped 26 loads of retardant and helicopters dropped 500 loads of water. Initial Attack groups stood ready to suppress any new starts in the area. Today, work continues to mitigate the risk of the fire aligning with topography and wind. Reduced wind should ensure aerial resource availability to assist crews on the ground.
Evacuations and Closures: The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office expanded the SET evacuation status. The Coconino County Pocket Fire information page, including an evacuation map is at:
coconino.az.gov/pocketfire. For evacuation questions, call the Coconino County Sheriff’s office: 928-774-4523. Coconino National Forest will implement Stage 2 Fire Restrictions at 8 a.m. Tuesday. A portion of the forest remains closed to the public. For more details, visit:
http://fs.usda.gov/.../pocket-fire-closure-order-effect. Sections of state Route 89A and Woody Mountain Road (Forest Road 231) are closed. For exact road closure locations, visit:
az511.com. For information on the READY, SET, GO! evacuation system, visit:
ein.az.gov/ready-set-go. A Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) is in effect over the fire area. For more information, visit:
tfr.faa.gov/tfr3/?page=detail_6_9455. If you fly, we can’t!
Weather: Today will see less severe but significant weather. Daytime high temperatures will be in the 80s. Southeast sustained winds are forecast to be 15 mph with 25 mph gusts. Diurnal wind will return with the possibility of pushing the fire downhill at night. Humidity will remain very low with no forecast of measurable precipitation. Although the winds will be lower than those of the last three days, this will be another day with a potential for significant fire activity.
Safety: Some locations in the area have experienced air quality from “Very Unhealthy” to “Good.” This can change from hour to hour, so the public should remain vigilant. For information, visit
outlooks.airfire.org/outlook/760194b8. Crews and heavy equipment remain very active in the area. Authorized motorists 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.)
