FLAGSTAFF – The Coconino National Forest has issued an emergency closure on all National Forest System lands within the area of the Slide Fire on the Coconino National Forest, in Coconino and Yavapai Counties.

This area closure is implemented as a standard fire operations procedure which helps to protect the public from entering into an area that is still active with fire, so as not to impede the efficiency of firefighters and allow for their safety while they do their job, where snags and rolling rocks will be an issue until mitigated, and during post-fire efforts to abate potential flooding and debris flows. The public is prohibited from entering any trails, roads, or areas within the fire closure area, which will be in force until further notification.

This area, road, and trail closure only affects National Forest System land, roads, and trails within the closure area on the Coconino National Forest. The closure does not affect any private, state, county, or other Non-National Forest System lands within the closure boundary.

Wildfires behave differently in areas where fuels have been previously treated. Fast moving wildfires slow down when they burn onto the footprints of past wildfires, prescribed burns, or thinned areas. As we learn to live with wildfire as a natural part of the ecosystem, we continue to reduce risks associated with uncharacteristic wildfires.