VIDEO: Multiple fire departments are battling a massive wildfire on the Navajo Nation. Since the Oak Ridge Fire began on Saturday, it quickly spread and has burned 6,500 acres southwest of Window Rock. People in the Four Corners are stepping up to help those impacted. KOB 4 spoke to a woman collecting donations for an area that is home to her. She lives in San Juan County, but grew up in Hunterโs Point, Arizona.
โWhen it hits close to home, it does hurt, it does hurt. I see it on TV, but when it happens to you, itโs heartbreaking, itโs heartbreaking,โ said Patricia Begay Bitloy. Her family is just one of the many impacted by the Oak Ridge Fire on the Navajo Nation. โThey loaded up the livestock, got ready to be evacuated. As far as I know, they were going to be evacuated last night,โ Begay Bitloy.
Thatโs why Begay Bitloy decided to help. She is collecting water, canned food, and anything evacuees may need. โIโm trying not to cry, but it does hurt because over the mountain, Iโm on this side now, and my home is affected out there, my families are affected,โ Begay Bitloy said. The goal is to fill up a truck with donations and get it to the evacuation center in Window Rock. With how fast this fire is spreading, those donations will be needed soon.
โYesterday, it actually jumped across a 200-foot-wide gas pipeline, highway clearance, like it wasnโt even there. So itโs been moving pretty hard,โ said Bill Morse, public information officer for the Southwest Complex Incident Management Team 2. Morse says because of the wind and how fast itโs moving, theyโre attacking the more than 6,000-acre fire from all angles.
โWeโre currently at 420 firefighters, but we just ordered five more 20-person crews, 10 more engines, and we have very heavy air support working on this virus,โ Morse said. Begay Bitloy will be back out at Walmart on Tuesday morning. If you canโt donate items:
