Please see the following announcement from the U.S. Forest Service regarding the Pocket Fire. Note: the team will host a public meeting in Sedona at 7 p.m. tonight, July 2 at the Red Rock Junior and Senior High School at 995 Upper Red Rock Loop Road, Sedona, Arizona.
Know your evacuation zone by going to www.sedonaaz.gov/ready.
Official Acreage: 20,680
Start Date: June 19, 2026
Location: 7 miles north of Sedona, Arizona
Cause: Undetermined
Personnel: 1,054
Fuels: Timber and Brush
Containment: 21%
Highlights: Forest Highlands, Kachina Village, and Pine Del downgraded to READY status. Oak Creek Canyon remains in SET status. State Highway 89A to remain closed.
Public Meeting: The team will host a public meeting in Sedona at 7 p.m. tonight, July 2 at the Red Rock Junior and Senior High School 995 Upper Red Rock Loop Road, Sedona Arizona. Representatives from the team and local authorities will present information about the Pocket Fire. The audience will have an opportunity to ask questions. American Sign Language (ASL) and closed captioning will be available. The meeting will be live streamed and available on the Coconino National Forest Facebook page:
facebook.com/CoconinoNF.
Operations: The smoke on Wednesday came when fire aligned with terrain driven wind and climbed the south-facing slope of Maroon Mountain which was exposed to both sun and wind. A similar situation will likely occur again today in upper Secret Canyon on the north and west slopes. Smoke will again be very visible from Sedona and outlying communities but is miles north of them. Consistent weather has given crews opportunity to continue placing and reinforcing control and contingency lines around the fire. Lines along Forest Road (FR) 536A, FR 535A and FR 535 on the north side of the fire are holding well. Crews continue to seek a place to stop fire from backing down West Fork Canyon. On the plateau flanking the canyon, crews are building barriers to keep fire from spilling out of the canyon and onto the plateau. On the south end of the fire, crews are working to put in lines to cut off the fire in Bear Sign Canyon to keep it from backing into the lower section of Secret Canyon. Other crews will work along the Dry Creek Confluence, where they are nearing completion building barriers to keep fire from backing down the canyon. Crews prepped more roads west of Fernow Cabin and performed a burning operation there last night. In the northwest corner, crews continue prep work on FR 538 as a contingency line. Established lines in that area continue to hold well. Structure groups continue to work in areas around the fire. Sprinkler systems have been installed and tested in Kachina Village and Oak Creek Canyon. Tuesday, Initial Attack groups set up a base in the ADOT yard, where they will continue their mission respond to new starts in the area.
Evacuations and Closures: The Coconino County Pocket Fire information page, including an evacuation map is at:
coconino.az.gov/pocketfire. The Coconino County Call Center for the Pocket Fire can be reached at 928-679-8525. For evacuation questions, call the Coconino County Sheriff’s office: 928-774-4523. Coconino National Forest has implemented Stage 2 Fire Restrictions. A portion of the forest remains closed. 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. Residents of Oak Creek Canyon need to enter the canyon from the south. For exact road closure locations, visit:
az511.com. For information on the READY, SET, GO! evacuation system, visit:
ein.az.gov/ready-setgo. 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: The forecast today calls for highs in the 80s at higher elevations and up to 92 near Sedona. Sustained southwest winds will reach 12 mph with gusts to 22 mph. It will be clear and sunny with single-digit humidity. Weather will remain consistent with no precipitation expected over the next few days.
Safety: The area has 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.
Phone Number: 928-260-0543 (7a.m. - 7p.m.)
