A monthly members-only column by Alan Dulaney
Last week I began to hear mention of the Pocket fire, so named for the side canyon to Oak Creek Canyon in which the fire had originated (cause unknown). It was only about 800 acres in size, and didn’t seem menacing. Yet the winds in northern Arizona were increasing in velocity, and it seemed unlikely that the fire would remain sequestered amongst the rocks of the rugged terrain of the side canyon. So I kept checking on its status..
On Sunday, June 28, things got appreciable worse. Red Flag warnings went out for winds with gusts over 50 mph. The emergency system of Ready-Set-Go was activated. Residents of Oak Creek Canyon were told to evacuate–the Go portion of the emergency warnings–and Highway 89A was closed from Fort Tuthill to Sedona to all except residents of Oak Creek Canyon, who were fleeing the flames. The fire had moved to the top of the canyon, though fortunately Oak Creek Canyon itself was spared. And it quickly grew to over 5200 acres.
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