Remaining Pocket Fire resources focus on repair work as crews move toward full containment

Most of the remaining Pocket Fire resources are now committed to repair work as crews close in on full containment, officials said Tuesday.

The size of the fire near Sedona has been holding steady at 27,393 acres, with no notable changes in over a week, according to what is expected to be the final formal incident update.

Containment was up to 83% as the California Incident Management Team 6 that was called in to oversee suppression efforts handed control off to the local U.S. Forest Service Type 3 Incident Management Team.

“We’re feeling real good. We’re in a really good place,” Anthony Rapoza of the California team said Tuesday in his final video update.

The cause of the Pocket Fire, which did not cause any injuries or structure damage, remains undetermined.

When did the Pocket Fire break out?

It took firefighters nearly four weeks to reach this point. The Pocket Fire broke out about 7 miles north of Sedona in the Red Rock-Secret Mountain Wilderness area of Coconino National Forest on June 19.

It prompted temporary evacuations and presented challenges for firefighters as it spread through rugged, difficult-to-reach terrain.

Several major hurdles were cleared Monday, when State Route 89 was reopened in both directions between Sedona and Kachina Village south of Flagstaff, and all areas still impacted by evacuation orders were returned to the “READY” level of the state’s emergency alert system.

A temporary forest closure order remains in effect for recreations sites in the area of the fire. The order will expire Sept. 30 if it isn’t rescinded earlier.

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This is an updated version of a story originally published on June 19, 2026.  

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