Santa Clara Pueblo in New Mexico declared an emergency on Thursday as the growing Las Conchas Fire hit the reservation.

The fire has already burned 6,000 acres on the reservation, including sacred sites, gathering areas and forest resources. Tribal leaders are worried that crews are focusing too much on protecting Los Alamos National Laboratory and communities near the facility.

“We are devastated to witness the destruction of our precious homeland,” Gov. Walter Dasheno said in a statement, according to news reports.

"This is a fire like we've never seen before," Dasheno told the Associated Press.

The fire has burned over 100,000 acres, making it the largest in state history. The Cerro Grande Fire also caused major damage to the reservation.

“This is the fourth fire that has impacted our homelands and all of them have begun outside our reservation. Santa Clara alone cannot bear the extreme costs to help Mother Nature restore herself,” Dasheno said in the statement.

Get the Story:
New Mexico pueblo leader worried about wildfire's effects on cultural sites, watershed (AP 6/30)
Las Conchas Fire hits Santa Clara Pueblo hard (The Santa Fe New Mexican 7/1)
Fire Advances Over Pueblo Land (The Albuquerque Journal 7/1)
Santa Clara Pueblo Land Is Ablaze (Counter Currents 7/1)

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Cochiti Pueblo prepares evacuation plan due to threat from fire (6/28)
Wildfire poses threat to Cochiti Pueblo in northern New Mexico (6/27)