The Rafael Fire is now largely contained and with recent rainfall, has dramatically slowed, only growing from 78,709 to 78,750 acres.

A Type 3 Incident Command Team will take overthe firefighting effort at 6 a.m., Friday, July 2, as the Southwest Area Type 1 Team 2 moves onto other active fires.

Acres: 78,750
Percent Containment: 89%
Detected: Friday, June 18 at 7:27 p.m.
Structures Damaged/Destroyed: 1 (the Buck Ridge Cabin)
Number of Personnel: 476
Cause: Lightning
Origin/Location: 4 miles north of Perkinsville

Yesterday, Scattered rain fell across the north half of the fire. Crews continued with mop up, patrol, and suppression repair work on all flanks of the fire with suppression repair work being completed below the Mogollon Rim in and around Sedona and Loy Canyon.

Firefighters from the Rafael Fire assisted the Prescott National Forest with initial attack on two new lightning fire starts.

Today, July 1, crews will continue to patrol and mop up around the fire to secure the perimeter.

Chipping of woody debris will continue along control lines in the northeast portion of the fire along FR 527 and along the road systems from White Horse Lake south to JD Dam. An excavator will be engaged in suppression repair on dozer lines in the area of White Horse Lake. Smoke from burning interior fuels will continue to be visible for a few more days. Thunderstorms and possible rain are predicted again this afternoon. The process of demobilizing Crews and equipment will continue.

A Type 3 Incident Command Team led by Incident Commander Troy Mueller, will be shadowing members of Southwest Area Type 1 Team 2 today and will assume management of the Fire tomorrow at 6 a.m. The Burned Area Emergency Response team is in place and will be assessing burn severity over the eastern portion of the fire.

Only one structure, the Buck Ridge Cabin, was lost to the fire. The Winter Cabin was not destroyed.

All communities affected by the fire are in “READY evacuation status. However, all areas within the Coconino, Kaibab, and Prescott National Forests remain closed to entry, regardless of evacuation status.

Information about evacuation status can be found on the Coconino County Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/CoconinoCounty and at the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Department Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/YavapaiCountySheriff/

While some areas of the national forest have received some rain, the Coconino National Forest will remain closed until conditions improve across the board.

This means Coconino NF will remain closed over the holiday weekend and people should plan accordingly, refraining from entering national forest land.

During a forest closure, the public is prohibited from entering any part of Coconino National Forest at any time. Only those with private properties within forest boundaries will be allowed access to their property.

The end of the closure will be dictated by the weather and moisture recorded from all the remote weather stations located on the forest. The forest will open once conditions improve and fire danger is lessened due to widespread rain recorded at each of these weather stations.

“The closure order lists Sept. 1 as the expiration date for the forest closure, but that does not mean the forest will be closed until then,” said Lindsay Mcelfresh, incident commander for the closure. “In this case we chose a date far enough in the future to when the monsoon will be well established. The date is a placeholder, and we anticipate dropping out of Stage 3 Restrictions well before then.”

“We choose a date far enough out to where we don’t have to worry about having to go through all of the hoops and hurdles associated with getting a Forest Order approved and in place,” Coconino National Forest Public Affairs Officer Brady Smith wrote.

Private property owners may gain access to their residence and land by applying for a letter of exemption. The permit will also provide access for essential services such as water, propane, and deliveries.

To obtain a letter of exemption for access, private property owners should contact their appropriate district and leave a message, and representatives will get back to you as soon as possible.

Private property owners need to provide a valid email address, property owner name, location of property, and the license plates of vehicles needing entry into the restricted area.

Letters of exemption and permits will be processed only during business hours, and due to the number of inquiries, letters and permits will usually be provided to the private property owner the following day.

• Red Rock Ranger District: (928) 203-2900, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Flagstaff Ranger District: (928) 527-3471, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Mogollon Rim Ranger District: (928) 477-2255, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.