Coconino County moves Forest Lakes and nearby areas to Stage 2 fire restrictions

Coconino County moved Forest Lakes and nearby areas to Stage 2 fire restrictions at 8 a.m. Friday, June 26, shutting down wood-fueled fires in one of the county’s most popular high-country escape zones. The change applies to private property within and adjacent to the boundaries of Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest in that area, while the rest of Coconino County stayed under Stage 1 rules.

Forest Lakes is an unincorporated community surrounded entirely by the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest, and it draws a mix of full-time residents, seasonal residents and weekenders from the Phoenix area. The Mogollon Rim is a rugged escarpment forming the southern limit of the Colorado Plateau, and Rim-area lakes pull peak summer visitation from desert travelers chasing cooler elevations above 7,000 feet.

Under Stage 2, igniting, building, maintaining or using fires fueled by wood, charcoal, briquettes or coal is prohibited. Coconino County’s order allows pressurized liquid petroleum or LPG devices with shut-off valves only in developed sites, and smoking is prohibited except inside an enclosed vehicle or in a developed site. The order also requires internal combustion engines used for common household or property-maintenance tasks to have spark arresters, and it bans welding or the use of acetylene or other torches with an open flame, along with tracer or incendiary rounds and explosive targets.

A developed site is an area cleared of vegetation and combustible materials within a 15-foot radius, with the space above it also cleared. A Forest Lakes cabin or campsite that depends on a propane stove and a cleared setup still fits the rules, but anything centered on a campfire, charcoal grill or dispersed-recreation fire pit does not.

Coconino County’s wildfire defense ordinance, Ordinance No. 2024-01, is meant to preserve life and property and coordinate restrictions across jurisdictions. Violations can bring fines and jail time.