Abandoned House Catches Fire in Fort Defiance

FORT DEFIANCE, Ariz.

An abandoned house caught fire in the Fort Defiance neighborhood of Rio Puerco Housing  around 2 p.m. Saturday.

Foul play is suspected, according to a fire official with the Navajo Pine Fire Department.

No one was injured as fire crews from Navajo Pine, Navajo Nation, McKinley County and Navajo Nation Police responded.

Smoke and flames could be seen for miles as crews battled the blaze.

“This is scary.  … There are so many of these abandoned houses in the area. They could all catch fire,” said Priscilla Joe, an eyewitness and resident of Rio Puerco Housing. Joe had just driven to Window Rock, seven miles south of Fort Defiance, at around 3:30 p.m. and could see the smoke.

Neighbors and concerned citizens lined Black Creek Drive in Rio Puerco Housing as the fire crews worked. Still, the house was in ruins.

Joe, along with another eyewitness, Melissa Lewis, expressed concern about what they call a plague of abandoned houses in the area. The two say that such structures create havens for gangs and drugs.

The abandoned house sits near occupied housing. The fire did not consume any other homes.

“It really is bad.  I’m glad no other houses caught fire,” Lewis said.

Fire trucks and emergency medical transport vehicles blocked roadway access until the flames were completely out.

Lewis said the owners of the house had passed on some years ago, leaving it covered in graffiti and broken glass.

“This is bad. We really need to do something about all these houses. They’re a risk,” Joe said.

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