Gap’s ‘busy little store’ closes after gas pump fire

By Krista Allen | May 18, 2025 | News |

BODAWAY-GAP, Ariz.

The Gap Express 525 and its adjoining Sinclair gas station remain closed after a fire broke out Friday night at one of the gas pumps.

The fire started around 9:30 p.m. and was reportedly ignited by an individual at a pump, according to reports shared with Lorena Nephew, the manager of both Gap Express 525 and the nearby Gap Trading Post across U.S. Route 89. The official cause has not yet been determined, and as of May 17, an investigation had not begun. No injuries were reported.

Nephew said she was attending the Western Navajo Fair’s Tuba City Spring Festival with her family when she received a call from employees alerting her to the fire. She immediately instructed staff to activate the emergency shutoff system and use the store’s fire extinguishers to contain the flames.

However, the fire spread quickly and became too large to control with extinguishers. Nephew then told her staff to evacuate the area and move all customers to safety.

“I told them to get away and get all the customers away,” she said.

Navajo Times | Krista Allen
The Gap Express and its Sinclair gas station on U.S. Route 89 is closed after a fire on Friday, May 16, 2025.

Nephew arrived at the store roughly 30 minutes later and found two vehicles fully engulfed in flames. A small fire had also reached the store’s roof. A fire truck was on scene and had begun suppressing the blaze.

“The cashiers were still at work,” she said. “After it was safe, we went inside, the cashiers cashed out, what they do at the end of their shift. And we just closed the store.”

Nephew, who has managed both locations for nine years, said it was the first time such an incident has occurred.

She noted the emotional toll the fire has taken on her and her team. Cleanup and repair work is scheduled to begin on May 19.

Gap Express 525, which employs six people including Nephew, is a popular stop along U.S. 89 for travelers and locals alike.

“It’s the ‘busy little store.’ That’s what the customers tell us,” Nephew said. “They tell us this is the only store on U.S. 89 where gas prices (aren’t high).”

Opened in 2007, the store serves roughly 1,000 customers daily. The nearby trading post also draws regular visitors for groceries.

“I don’t know how it started,” Nephew said, adding that when the store closed at 11:30 p.m., she and others saw a strange beam of light in the sky resembling a spotlight just before midnight.

According to space.com, such effects can appear similar to northern lights. While the source remains unknown, Nephew does not believe there is a connection to the fire.