FORT DEFIANCE – Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren thanks the volunteers for their assistance at the evacuation shelter located at the Bee Hółdzil Fighting Scouts Events Center.
A temporary Incident Command Center has been established at the Bee Hółdzil Fighting Scouts Events Center in Fort Defiance. The Window Rock Fighting Scouts Events Center has now become the primary emergency evacuation shelter for residents evacuating due to the fire. The facility is equipped with showers and locker rooms.
Navajo Nation Office of the President staff, the Executive Branch, and Window Rock Unified School District staff are all on site to provide resources and support.
Shawn Bia, his wife and six children live off Mission Road in St. Michaels, Ariz., and have evacuated their home. They are staying at the shelter for the night.
“We are a couple feet below where the fire started,” Bia said. “I noticed a plume of white smoke just west of us. I didn’t think anything of it, but eventually it got larger and larger, and thicker and thicker.”
Bia said he was briefed by public safety officials and community members to evacuate his home.
“This is nice, but it’s nothing like being at home,” he added.
As the Oak Ridge Fire continues to grow, President Nygren states that the Navajo Nation will continue deploying direct services to assist those impacted by the fire.
