By admin 
SEDONA, AZ (AZFamily) — People forced from their homes because of the Pocket Fire north of Sedona received a promising update Monday afternoon. They will be allowed to return home Tuesday.
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The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office said the evacuation orders will end at 8 a.m. on Tuesday for those who live in Oak Creek Canyon. Click or tap here to see the evacuation map.
State Route 89A remains closed and visitors are still banned from the Oak Creek Canyon area since all trails and camping sites have been shut down.
Deputies said firefighters are gaining ground on the Pocket Fire, but smoke and flames will be in the area “for the foreseeable future.”
The flames have burned 257 acres, about 7 miles north of Sedona, and are 0% contained.
Evacuation orders went out Friday, affecting hundreds of people.
Against the backdrop of Sedona’s red rocks, thick black smoke drifted across the area as firefighters worked the fire line Sunday.
For evacuees, the situation meant difficult choices. Sori Randle and her family, including their 6-year-old son, were staying at Red Rock Junior High School, a shelter run by the American Red Cross.
“I started crying thinking about leaving those behind,” Randle said. “No one wants to tell you, ‘Hey, there will be a time in your life where you have to drop everything and go.’ Last night the deputy came around and told us, ‘Hey, you have to be out by tomorrow morning.’”
The family’s trailer in the Willard Springs area is inside the evacuation zone. Randle said her family has limited income, making decisions about what to take especially hard.
“Having to pick and choose what I picked and choose from is hard,” she said.
The Randles are among dozens of families affected by the evacuation.
“My kid had it the worst,” Randle said. “Watching him just start bawling over wanting to save all of his little stuffies that we can replace. He was heartbroken.”
Firefighters said improving conditions helped on Sunday.
Sedona Fire District Assistant Fire Chief Jayson Coil said winds eased and conditions became more favorable for crews working the fire’s edge. He said a key priority was building dozers and containment lines.
“A lot of people I know and trust are working on the fire’s edge,” Coil said.
“As far as I know, they are holding well,” Coil said. “They’ve had minimal aviation support compared to yesterday.”
Firefighters are working to keep the fire from spreading into Oak Creek Canyon. Coil said crews are hopeful containment lines will hold, but warned that if the fire crosses into the canyon, the terrain would make firefighting significantly more difficult.
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“It’s the slope and the terrain you can’t put firefighters on. And it’s the rollout,” Coil said.
Back at the Red Rock Junior High shelter, Randle and her family said they were grateful for the first responders working to protect their community.
Coil said fire acreage could increase as firefighting continues, with crews also allowing some interior burning within established lines.
Pocket Fire hurts local businesses
Shaun McClur, who works at Clear Creek Trading Company, is trying to carry on with normal life. However, with evacuations and the 89A closure, it’s making it hard.
“Now today it’s dead again,” McClur said. “There’s no one coming through. 50% of our traffic comes down 89a.
They’re the first store for people travelling down 89A into Sedona. He said usually they’re very busy, but by 1 on Monday, they only had one sale.
“If they’re scared away, we’re already in a slow season,” McClur said. “For us to survive, we need more customers.”
McClur said their community helps each other during times like this, so now they need tourists to help out locals.
“The rest of Uptown is open,” he said. “The rest of Sedona is open. So they can come on out, come to Clear Creek.”
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