Navajos declare state of emergency over wildfiresResidents evacuated

Navajos declare state of emergency over wildfiresResidents evacuated, blazes blamed on droughtSam Lewin 6/14/2006
Responding to a rash of wildfires on their sprawling reservation, two officials with the Navajo Nation have declared a state of emergency.A total of nine blazes are currently scorching tribal lands. The fires, which have led to the evacuation of some residents, are all blamed on severe drought conditions. Lighting has sparked some of the fires while the causes of others are still under investigation.Navajo president Joe Shirley, Jr., and Navajo Commission on Emergency Management head Herman Shorty jointly signed a resolution calling on all branches of Navajo government to plan for the worst and prepare to activate emergency funds.“The current and continued drought conditions in the Southwest, including the Navajo Nation, are such that [they] pose a substantial risk for wildland fires,” the resolution states.The blazes are centered on the Arizona/Utah border, including a 2,000-acre fire on Navajo Mountain. More than 30 people were evacuated from their home in the Arizona town of pine Springs, while a separate fire is threatening homes near the town of Heber, about 140 miles northeast of Phoenix. Perhaps the biggest scare came when tribal officials ordered 70 people living in the Navajo capitol of Window Rock to leave their homes and take refuge in an area school when flames from a 1655-acre wildfire came within a half-mile of the community. Several people were hospitalized, including two suffering from smoke inhalation. You can reach Sam Lewin at sam@okit.com
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