Oak Ridge Fire burns 200 acres near St. Michaels, evacuation center opens

Residents along roads 603, 604 and 605 and Navajo Telecommunications Road in St. Michaels were ordered to evacuate as the Oak Ridge Fire pushed west of the community, sending smoke over the ridgelines, closing Pine Springs Road off State Highway 264 and opening the St. Michael Senior Center as an evacuation site for people who had nowhere else to go.

The fire was first reported around 1:45 p.m. near Pine Springs Road, about four miles south of Highway 264, and had grown to an estimated 200 acres by Saturday evening while remaining uncontained. Local officials said the blaze was burning southwest of the chapter and school area, with crews watching for possible movement toward Butterfly Butte west of Route 12.

St. Michaels Chapter Vice President Craig Tsosie said the fire had not advanced much by the time he spoke, but multiple aircraft were already on scene and firefighters were working under difficult conditions. The senior center was being prepared to hold about 25 evacuees, while the Dean C. Jackson Memorial Arena in St. Michaels was set up as a large animal shelter to keep livestock and pets out of harm’s way.

The response quickly widened beyond St. Michaels. A Navajo Nation Council release said evacuees were relocated to the Window Rock Unified School District Fighting Scouts Event Center, the Fort Defiance Senior Center was open to accept donations, and the St. Michael’s Chapter was also open as a secondary shelter accepting donations. The same release said NTUA had de-energized select power lines as a precaution and warned of possible impacts to Chinle, Nazlini, Ganado, Klagetoh, Steamboat and Wide Ruins.

By June 29, residents of Hunter’s Point, Oak Springs and Saint Michaels living near the fire and the El Paso Natural Gas substation and pipeline were evacuated, and officials said the blaze was threatening rangelands, public and residential structures, and livestock. Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren declared a state of emergency, underscoring how quickly the fire shifted from a local brush fire to an infrastructure and public-safety threat across the region.

By June 30, the fire had grown to 6,292 acres with zero containment, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs Complex Incident Management Team had taken over at 6 a.m. KNAU reported 55 firefighters on scene that Sunday afternoon, with the cause still under investigation. By July 3, Navajo Nation updates said the Oak Ridge Fire had reached 10,712 acres and 13% containment, a sign that the first 200-acre reports came at the very start of a much larger emergency.