- Details
- By Patrick Lohmann, Source New Mexico
A wildfire that erupted over the weekend on the Navajo Nation near the New Mexico border has grown to more than 6,200 acres, according to the latest updates.
This story was originally published in Source New Mexico.
The Oak Springs fire began Saturday a few miles southwest of Saint Michaels, Ariz. and cast smoke throughout much of the area over the weekend, including nearby Gallup. Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren, in updates posted on social media, said wood haulers in the area may have started the fire, though its cause is still officially under investigation.
More than 400 people have responded to the fast-growing wildfire, which is 0% contained. On Monday, in response to the rapid fire spread, a complex incident management team took over the fire, according to the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
The Navajo Nation is ordering people in Hunter’s Point and Oak Springs west of mile marker 12 on Navajo Route 12 to flee, along with Saint Michaels’ residents along roads 603, 604, 605 and Navajo Telecommunications Road. An evacuation center is housed at the Window Rock Fighting Scouts Event Center on Navajo Route 12 south of Window Rock High School.
According to Nygren, 23 people sought shelter at the events center on Monday morning.
The fire is the biggest on the Navajo Nation since June 2020, according to a Source review of National Interagency Fire Center records, and is already the second-biggest in more than a decade. The biggest fire, the Wood Springs 2 Fire, burned about 20 miles north of the Oak Springs Fire, consuming more than 12,000 acres.
Crews assigned to the Oak Springs fire are prioritizing protecting the town of Saint Michaels, the corridor along highway 12, including homes and pipelines.
A public meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Monday night at the Fighting Scouts Field House, according to a news release. It will also be streamed on this Facebook page.
Help us tell the stories that could save Native languages and food traditions
At a critical moment for Indian Country, Native News Online is embarking on our most ambitious reporting project yet: "Cultivating Culture," a three-year investigation into two forces shaping Native community survival—food sovereignty and language revitalization.
The devastating impact of COVID-19 accelerated the loss of Native elders and with them, irreplaceable cultural knowledge. Yet across tribal communities, innovative leaders are fighting back, reclaiming traditional food systems and breathing new life into Native languages. These aren't just cultural preservation efforts—they're powerful pathways to community health, healing, and resilience.
Our dedicated reporting team will spend three years documenting these stories through on-the-ground reporting in 18 tribal communities, producing over 200 in-depth stories, 18 podcast episodes, and multimedia content that amplifies Indigenous voices. We'll show policymakers, funders, and allies how cultural restoration directly impacts physical and mental wellness while celebrating successful models of sovereignty and self-determination.
This isn't corporate media parachuting into Indian Country for a quick story. This is sustained, relationship-based journalism by Native reporters who understand these communities. It's "Warrior Journalism"—fearless reporting that serves the 5.5 million readers who depend on us for news that mainstream media often ignores.
We need your help right now. While we've secured partial funding, we're still $450,000 short of our three-year budget. Our immediate goal is $25,000 this month to keep this critical work moving forward—funding reporter salaries, travel to remote communities, photography, and the deep reporting these stories deserve.
Every dollar directly supports Indigenous journalists telling Indigenous stories. Whether it's $5 or $50, your contribution ensures these vital narratives of resilience, innovation, and hope don't disappear into silence.
The stakes couldn't be higher. Native languages are being lost at an alarming rate. Food insecurity plagues many tribal communities. But solutions are emerging, and these stories need to be told.
Support independent Native journalism. Fund the stories that matter.
Levi Rickert (Potawatomi), Editor & Publisher