One week since the Oak Ridge Fire first ignited on June 28, it has scorched 10,814 acres and is 26% contained.
Early July 5, Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs made her way to the Navajo Nation for a quick visit with Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren, Speaker Crytalyne Curely, first responders and other Navajo leadership to get updates on the Oak Ridge Fire.
“Today, I visited Navajo Nation and met with the brave first responders who have been on the frontlines battling the Oak Ridge Fire. I’m grateful to them for their tireless efforts to protect residents, homes, and land. We will continue to coordinate closely with our federal, Tribal, and local partners as they work to contain this fire. My administration stands ready to support the Navajo Nation and ensure that those impacted by this fire have what they need to recover,” Hobbs said in a news release.
A Navajo Nation public information officer told The Arizona Republic the meeting was closed to the public and media. Additionally, Hobbs’ communications team did not respond to The Republic’s request to attend the visit.
When the Oak Ridge Fire ignited a week ago, the Window Rock Unified School District and the Navajo community of Fort Defiance swiftly opened the high school’s event center to shelter evacuees and provide support to those in need. A few days later, as strong winds pushed the fire toward the Klagetoh area near Ganado, the Ganado Unified School District also opened its doors to those displaced. Officials announced that both evacuation shelters will close at 5 p.m. on July 5 as they are no longer needed.
July 5 will continue the warming and drying trend that started late July 3. Temperatures were expected into the mid 80s with humidity dropping to 10% to 15%, with winds reaching 15 to 20 mph from the west. Humidity was expected to have poor recovery at night. No thunderstorms were expected to develop.
Fuels in the area remained extremely dry and highly flammable. The Navajo Nation was under Stage 2 Fire Restrictions, which ban activities such as trash burning and field clearing. Officials urged the public to use extreme caution with towing, smoking, and any use of fire, according to the Southwest Area Complex Incident Management Team.
“Keep in mind that there may be visible smoke on the fire as relative humidity goes down and the fuels begin to dry out from the weekend’s weather,” said Tyler Chesarek, of planning operations with the Southwest Area Complex Incident Management Team.
The team issued an advisory noting that residents in nearby communities may see a noticeable increase in smoke July 5 coming from the southwest flank of the Oak Ridge Fire.
The rise in smoke was due to a low-intensity burnout operation being carried out by fire crews. It was a planned and strategic effort — not a sign of new fire growth. The fire’s perimeter had held steady for about three days, and no major expansion was expected. Crews planned to complete the operation by day’s end.
Curley thanked the Southwest Area Complex Incident Management Team Type 2, Navajo Nation Rangers, and all Navajo Nation fire crews for their collective efforts.
“We have over 600 firefighters on scene, and we’re grateful to the Southwest Incident Management Team Type 2 for expediently creating fire lines to protect our people as fire raged close to residential areas, senior centers, schools, and even our backyards,” Curley said.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Navajo leaders brief Hobbs on Oak Ridge Fire