WINDOW ROCK – The strict fire restrictions – Stage 1 and Stage 2 – across the Navajo Nation have been lifted by Executive Order No. 05-2025. This allows Navajo residents to use chainsaws, obtain permits to harvest wood, and prepare for the fall and winter seasons to stay warm.
The decision follows the release of fuels and weather data from the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Navajo Region, Branch of Fire Management, which indicates cooler weather conditions and a decreased overall fire danger across the Navajo Nation.
Earlier this summer, Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren signed both Stage 1 and Stage 2 fire restrictions due to an active fire season caused by a combination of inadequate precipitation, dry fuels, high winds, elevated temperatures, and low humidity.
The Navajo Nation experienced two significant wildland fires: the 11,000-acre Oak Ridge Fire in St. Michaels Chapter and the Bridge Creek Fire, which burned approximately 2,274 acres.
In regard to burning in forested and woodland areas, Navajo residents are encouraged to follow Navajo Nation EPA Open Burning Regulations and register their burns with the Navajo Nation EPA Air Quality at 928-729-4246. Fires at recreational campsites, however, do not require a burn permit according to the order.
On September 5, President Nygren, with the concurrence of Deborah Shirley, Navajo Regional Director for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and Colin Bradley, acting attorney general for the Navajo Nation, announced that the fire restrictions have been lifted.