Iron Fire forces full evacuation of Eureka, Utah; Pocket Fire keeps Oak Creek Canyon under orders; NIFC holds the nation at Preparedness Level 3 amid Western heat.
Episode 197 •
22nd June 2026 • EM Morning Brief • Brian Colburn
Today’s brief leads with the Western heat-and-fire surge: Utah’s human-caused Iron Fire has grown to nearly 22,000 acres and forced the full evacuation of Eureka, while Arizona’s Pocket Fire keeps Oak Creek Canyon under evacuation orders north of Sedona. The National Interagency Fire Center holds the country at Preparedness Level 3 with 28 uncontained large fires, and active blazes persist across Nevada, California, Florida, and Washington. We also cover a two-sided weather pattern of dangerous heat in the West and South and severe storms in the East, a quiet tropics outlook, and a calm window on the terrorism, cyber, and seismic fronts. EM Morning Brief is your concise daily update on national and state-by-state emergency management news. Produced by Sitch Radio, an EOC Voices podcast.
Key Takeaways
• Utah, Iron Fire: A human-caused fire on the Tooele and Juab county line reached about 21,935 acres at zero percent containment, forcing the full evacuation of Eureka (population near 1,000) and closing U.S. Highway 6; an overnight backburn protected the town with no primary structures lost.
• Arizona, Pocket Fire: Evacuations remain in effect for Oak Creek Canyon north of Sedona for a roughly 500-acre, zero-percent-contained fire, with State Route 89A closed and a Red Cross shelter open.
• National wildfire posture: NIFC holds the nation at Preparedness Level 3 with 28 uncontained large fires and about 5,489 personnel committed; year-to-date fires and acres are both well above the ten-year average.
• Western fire weather: Critical conditions of extreme heat, single-digit humidity, and gusty winds are driving extreme fire behavior in the Great Basin (Nevada’s Kane Springs and Grapevine fires) and Southwest.
• Two-sided weather: Dangerous heat is building across the West and South while severe storms and flash flooding threaten the Lower Lakes, Ohio Valley, Mid-Atlantic, Northeast, and Plains.
• Quiet security and seismic window: No new DHS NTAS bulletin, no new CISA KEV entries, and no significant domestic earthquakes in the last 24 hours.
Extreme heat and drought are driving the day's highest impact picture across the West.
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ained large fires and roughly:
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Official update published about 47 hours ago Hot temperatures, single digit humidity and gusty southwest winds set up a critical burn environment from the Four Corners into Western Arizona over the weekend and dry thunderstorms are adding new ignitions across the Great Basin.
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Year to date the Nation has logged 33,753 fires and more than 2.65 million acres burned, well above the 10 year average for both new large fires and active evacuations are concentrated in Utah and Arizona.
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On Weather the National Weather Service is tracking a two sided hazard pattern, dangerous heat building across the West Coast, Great Basin, Southwest and the Gulf and Southeast alongside heavy rain and severe storms running from the Lower Lakes and Ohio Valley into the Mid Atlantic and Northeast with additional severe weather and flash flooding risk across the Plains in the tropics.
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The National Hurricane center notes a disorganized tropical wave a few hundred miles off southwestern Mexico in the eastern Pacific with low near term odds near zero through 48 hours, about 20% over seven days.
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No tropical cyclone formation is expected in the Atlantic, Caribbean or Gulf over the next seven days.
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On the security and public health side, the window is quiet.
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The Department of Homeland Security has issued no new National Terrorism Advisory System bulletin and CISA added no new entries to its known Exploited Vulnerabilities catalog in the last 24 hours.
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The most recent addition came June 16th.
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The U.S. geological Survey reports no significant domestic earthquakes overnight with only minor activity such as a magnitude 3.1 near Cobb, California lets run through the states.
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Arizona evacuations remain in effect north of Sedona for the Pocket Fire which has burned roughly 500 acres in oak Creek Canyon on the Coconino National Forest at 0% containment.
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State Route 89A is closed between Fort Tooth Heel and the north end of Sedona, and the American Red Cross opened a shelter at Sedona Red Rock High School statewide.
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Fire weather remains critical.
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The Sycamore Fire north of Globe on the Tonto National Forest is threatening structures and energy infrastructure and the Rock Canyon Fire southeast of Fredonia has prompted area closures.
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California Extreme heat is forecast across the interior, raising fire risk and demand on the grid.
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Kern County Fire activity continues though conditions are improving.
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All evacuations tied to the Lost Fire near Lost Hills of the about 7,800 acres have been lifted with containment climbing.
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The Shore Fire near Calimessa in Riverside county is more than 90% contained.
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Florida hot, unstable conditions and afternoon thunderstorms continue across the peninsula sustaining active brush fires in Miami Dade County.
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Official Update published about 47 hours ago.
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The Quarry 2 fire west of Doral has burned roughly 17,200 acres and is 80% contained.
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The Coptic Fire in Everglades national park is at about 2,935 acres and 40% contained with structures threatened and the well 13 fire west of Medley remains active with road closures.
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Nevada Extreme fire behavior is reported in the Great Basin.
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The Cane Springs Fire southwest of Caliente, about 7,500 acres, 10% contained and the nearby Grapevine Fire, about 6,000 acres are both showing wind driven runs and spotting.
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Official Update published about 47 hours ago.
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New Mexico Southwest fire activity is easing.
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The Bear Fire on the Gila National Forest southeast of Kamado has reached 97% containment at about 7,769 acres and the Rio Fire east of Espanola on the Santa Fe National Forest remains small with moderate behavior.
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Official Update published about 47 hours ago.
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Texas a two sided weather threat continues.
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A flood advisory covered parts of southeast Texas including Brazoria, Fort Bend, Galveston and Harris counties early Sunday with additional showers and storms possible and a slight risk of excessive rainfall along the coast.
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At the same time, hazardous heat persists across the southern part of the state following a record tying heat index near 118 degrees in Austin over the weekend.
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Utah the Iron Fire is the day's most significant life safety incident.
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all of eureka population near:
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Incident commanders report a successful overnight backburn protected the town and no primary structures were lost.
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Additional fires, including the Sawmill fire northwest of Cedar City are showing extreme behavior amid severe to extreme drought.
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Washington Several fires are active in the eastern part of the state.
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The Upriver fire just east of Spokane has prompted evacuations and area road and trail closures with numerous residences threatened, while the Carr Fire southeast of OMAC, about 11,706 acres, 0% contained, is threatening structures with area and road closures in effect.
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Official Update published about 47 hours ago.
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All other states and territories have no significant updates in the last 24 hours.
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That wraps today's EM Morning Brief.
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