Fire crews unable to control fire on Naatsis’aan

WINDOW ROCK

A fire on the southwest side of Naatsis’aan that may have been started by lightning has burned more than 20 acres since Monday afternoon.

According to Navajo Nation Forestry officials, a 20-man hotshot crew was dispatched to the fire and is currently on scene but with no way to drive to the fire the crew has been struggling to contain it.

Lorena Atene, with Navajo Mountain Chapter, said the chapter President Hank Stevens was also at the fire and said it was about two miles long.
And because of the remoteness of the fire, crews have had to hike two to three miles to get to it.

The fire is nestled within Mule Canyon, which is on the southwest side of the mountain. With windy conditions in the area, the fire continues to expand, said Stevens, who has been on site since the fire started.

“Concerns now are the communication towers located on top of the mountain and sacred site at the base and on top as well,” Stevens wrote in an email he sent to the Navajo Nation president’s office and other officials early Tuesday morning.

Stevens said additional fire crews were being dispatched to the fire but was unsure of how many were en route. An air tanker and a helicopter have been requested to help quell the fire, but this may not happen because of other fires burning in the western region.

According to the National Weather Service, sustained winds are blowing up to 16 mph with no chance of rain today. Winds are expected to increase on Wednesday.

Navajo Nation Vice President Jonathan Nez wrote on his Facebook page that the fire has so far consumed between 30 to 40 acres “at the top third of Horseshoe Canyon.”

Nez said three other fires that burned a combined total of more than 60 acres on the reservation have all been contained.

“Please be vigilant for various forest fires burning across the Navajo Nation,” Nez said.

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