Fire crews have reached 87% containment of the Oak Ridge Fire, which has burned 11,027 acres on the Navajo Nation since it began June 28.
The Navajo Nation Police Department — working with the Bureau of Indian Affairs Navajo Region and Southwest Complex Incident Management Team 2 — has lifted all evacuation orders across all zones.
Last week, some residents in certain areas were allowed to return home, but without their livestock. Animals were sheltered at the rodeo grounds in Window Rock. However, on the morning of July 8, officials announced people were now permitted to bring their animals home.
The Navajo Nation Police Department issued a public safety closure around the Oak Ridge Fire area, as it remains an active incident with crews and equipment working toward full containment. Hazards such as stump holes, ash pits, and hazard trees (snags) are still present within the burn area.
Additionally, the Burn Area Emergency Response Team will be collecting important data for post-fire recovery efforts. The public was urged to respect the closure and avoid entering the area.
Over the weekend, Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs met with Navajo Nation leaders in Window Rock to discuss reinstating the Mutual Aid Compact. This measure would help mobilize additional resources during emergencies like the Oak Ridge Fire.
“We have all the expertise at the table for the benefit of our people,” said Sharen Sandoval, emergency manager for the Department of Emergency Management, who also serves as Joint Incident Commander for Oak Ridge Fire Incident Command Post. “We need to reinstate the Arizona Mutual Aid Compact so that we can call on the state during emergencies like this.”
The Arizona Mutual Aid Compact allows participating political subdivisions and tribal nations to share resources, personnel, and other support during emergencies, with the ability to seek reimbursement for those contributions.
These mutual aid agreements offer a framework for quickly accessing emergency assistance—such as staff, equipment, materials, and related services—before, during, or after a crisis. While signing the agreement doesn’t obligate any party to provide or accept aid, it ensures a system is in place if the situation calls for it, according to the Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs.
As progress continues toward full containment of the Oak Ridge Fire, Team 2 is preparing to wrap up operations and return home. At the height of the response, more than 600 personnel were assigned to the fire. Now that number was reduced by half.
“This is the last day, it’s always exciting,” stated Lathe Evans, Deputy Incident Commander. “We did about ten days here and you start thinking about going home. We are halfway through this fire season. As a team in fire, we are great, we look out for each other but then we go home and have a couple days off. When you get back home, have that patience. Our families are why we are here. The communities we protect are why we are here. We got to blend them together. In our world, we got our family team and our fire team.”
The Southwest Complex Incident Management Team 2 will host a community meeting at the Fighting Scouts Field House in Fort Defiance on June 8 at 6 p.m.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Oak Ridge Fire is contained at 87% all evacuations have been lifted