Oak Ridge Fire Grows to 10,787 Acres on Navajo Nation, Evacuations

The Oak Ridge Fire ignited near Pine Springs Road and, according to KOAT, has burned 10,787 acres on the Navajo Nation, prompting evacuations in Hunters Point, the Oak Springs area and placing St. Michaels on set status. Apache County and Navajo Nation officials have moved emergency operations into high alert as the blaze threatened chapter communities and local structures.

KOAT’s incident data lists the start date as June 28, 2025, places the fire about 5 miles WSW of Window Rock, and shows 409 personnel assigned with containment at 13 percent. KOAT also relayed officials’ assessments that strong winds in the evening hours on Monday pushed the fire to the west and that flames were reported 200 feet high, covering the length of two football fields in just a few minutes. KOAT noted, "No structures have been damage has been reported in the most recent growth of the fire."

The initial report of the blaze described a much smaller, rapid ignition. Early coverage said the fire "sparked Saturday afternoon" and "ignited near Pine Springs Road," burning an estimated 200 acres west of St. Michaels in its first hours, a figure reported by Yahoo and reflected in the Original Report. Azcentral later reported that by the evening of June 30 the fire had grown to 6,545 acres with zero containment, and WMICentral placed the total at "more than 10,600 acres" as of July 3, illustrating how acreage estimates increased as the incident evolved.

Evacuation orders have shifted as incident managers restructured mapping and zones. Azcentral reported evacuations for people living in the Navajo communities of Hunters Point and the Oak Springs area late on June 29, and KOAT described a change from community names to numeric zone numbers to "create less confusion." KOAT’s Ready, Set, Go evacuation status update was timestamped as of 10:30 p.m. on July 2. Human shelters listed by KOAT include the Window Rock Fighting Scouts Event Center and a location on Navajo Route 12 south of Window Rock High School. An animal shelter was established at Dean C. Jackson Memorial Arena in St. Michaels. The Original Report noted that "fire crews established an evacuation center at a senior center" as the blaze "rattled local chapter communities."

Government response has escalated to formal emergency declarations. KOAT reported that the Navajo Nation Commission of Emergency Management declared a state of emergency and President Buu Nygren concurred. WMICentral reported that the Apache County Board of Supervisors declared a county state of emergency on June 29 during an emergency telephone meeting posted just 90 minutes before convening, and that the board unanimously approved immediate county response and coordination with state and federal agencies, with a resolution allowing curfews and road closures if conditions worsen.

Relief efforts are already under way, with KOAT reporting that the nonprofit La Planta is delivering food to families impacted by the fire. The incident remains active; conflicting acreage and containment figures reflect rapid fire behavior and ongoing updates from incident command, and officials caution that wind and fuels including grass, understory and timber continue to drive spread.