More than 500 personnel continue to battle the Oak Ridge Fire southwest of Window Rock on the Navajo Nation.
It grew to more than 10,600 acres last night and more than 350 people in several communities remain under evacuation orders.
Managers say the fire’s growth has slowed with calmer winds and improved weather conditions.
Strong gusts on Monday caused it to explode by thousands of acres.
Anne Reid is a spokesperson for the Complex Incident Management Team.
“The winds have died down, the temperatures have come down and so the crews and such are able to go more direct," Reid says. "So we get that reduced growth on the fire."
Crews are using existing roads and clearings to help control the blaze, and have been able to burn areas of the forest around the fire to reduce fuels.
Fire managers say they’re acting quickly before the chance of monsoon rain increases later in the week.
While thunderstorms can bring higher humidity, they also come with chaotic outflow winds that can reach 40 miles an hour and make conditions more dangerous for fire personnel.
The fire remains 0% contained.
