FLAGSTAFF, AZ (AZFamily) — Some popular spots in northern Arizona are off-limits as much of the state remains under Stage 2 fire restrictions.
These restrictions include Coconino County and national forests, where many people are heading to escape the heat this time of year.
Fire danger across the northern part of the state has jumped very high with dry fuels, warm weather, and even a few red flag warning days. True Brown, a fire staff officer on the Coconino National Forest, said these conditions have pushed them to move to stage 2.
“That’s really just to reduce the overall risk for unwanted fire starts because the resistance to control our abilities to suppress those fires becomes really difficult under these conditions,” Brown said.
He and his team monitor fire conditions in the forest, which they use to determine restriction levels. “At a lot of our weather stations and looking at our fuel moistures along with some other indices, we look at,” Brown said.
ADVERTISEMENT
RELATED: Fire bans start in several Phoenix-area parks and preserves
This new stage of restrictions limits campfires, chainsaws and generator use from 8 p.m. to 9 a.m. and closes major forest service roads to motorized use around Flagstaff. Brown said that while he knows it can be frustrating for people who want to drive on these roads or make a campfire, the data shows these restrictions are working.
“The amount of abandoned campfires that we find off of outside of the roadways drops off significantly,” he said. “So it’s another way we can reduce the risk.”
Outside of stage 2 restrictions, Brown said travelers can set fires unintentionally on their way up to the high country by dragging chains or even when the rim of a flat tire causes sparks on the pavement.
Brown still wants people to come and enjoy the forest, but do so in a way that won’t start a wildfire. “Even just traveling because all it takes is a moment’s inattention and it can create a really problematic fire for us to deal with,” he said.
ADVERTISEMENT
“I want folks to enjoy it, so I encourage folks to come up, but just to recreate responsibly,” Brown said.
He also wants to encourage people to sign up for the emergency alert system here. Even people who don’t live in the high country full time should be notified of any fires or evacuations while visiting. Fourth of July is also just around the corner, and he wants to remind everyone that fireworks are always illegal in the forest.
FIREWORK SAFETY: Where you can’t light fireworks in Arizona ahead of Fourth of July
See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it.
Do you have a photo or video of a breaking news story? Send it to us here with a brief description.
Copyright 2025 KTVK/KPHO. All rights reserved.