PHOENIX, Arizona — Arizona is facing significant wildfire activity as unusually strong late-June winds drive rapid fire growth across the state, with three large fires burning and a fourth prompting evacuations in the Kaibab National Forest.
The National Interagency Fire Center raised the national preparedness level to 4 on Monday, citing significant wildland fire activity across multiple geographic areas and forecasts for continued high potential for new large fires. Arizona has three active large fires: the Pocket Fire seven miles north of Sedona at 1,512 acres and zero percent containment, the Flat Fire southwest of Heber at 134 acres and 81 percent containment, and the White Tail Fire northeast of San Carlos at 857 acres and 26 percent containment.
The Pocket Fire has triggered a SET status for the communities of Kachina Village and Forest Highlands, and an online public meeting was scheduled for Monday evening. The Sedona area fire has grown significantly under red flag wind conditions described by forecasters as rare for late June, with southwest winds of 30 to 60 miles per hour and relative humidity as low as 5 percent.
The Spring Fire in the Kaibab National Forest has also prompted evacuation orders. Nationwide, 52 large fires are burning across 465,189 acres, with 35,682 fires recorded year-to-date that have burned more than 3 million acres — nearly double the 10-year average.
Three wildland firefighters lost their lives Saturday battling the Knowles and Gore fires along the Colorado-Utah border, including one from Arizona. A remembrance ceremony for the Granite Mountain Hotshots, who died in the 2013 Yarnell Hill Fire, was held Monday in Prescott on the 13th anniversary.
