The Las Conchas fire has charred about 13,000 acres within the Santa Clara Canyon, an area of great significance to those who live in Santa Clara Pueblo, a Native American community north of Santa Fe.
'This is a fire like we've never seen before,' said Santa Carla Pueblo Gov. Walter Dasheno.
The burned area accounts for nearly 25% of the reservation's 55,000 acres, and the blaze is expected to consume more land in the coming days.
Firefighters have so far been able to protect some of the ancient Puye Cliff Dwellings, a national historic landmark. The tribe left the dwellings in the 14th century to settle in their current location.
