Three confirmed cases of hantavirus.

Two confirmed cases of plague.

One under-staffed emergency room.

And a mountain on fire.

Navajo Mountain, near Page, AZ, is burning. It started burning on Thursday after a lightning strike, and – since we’re in a drought – has continued to spread. Kayenta and Inscription House Clinic staff are all on standby.

I took this picture from near Navajo monument, nearly 60 miles away. The smoke plume is so large and long that you can see it clearly in Kayenta.

Now would be a good time to thank your local volunteer fire fighters, EMTs, and emergency response teams, because until we can get the Park Service to agree to help us, and allow us to take water from Lake Powell, those guys are fighting this alone, in the middle of nowhere.

Welcome to your job.