A federal jury found 21-year-old Marco Anderson Bia, of Tsaile, Arizona, guilty of arson for setting fire to Diné College’s Student Union Building, a blaze that gutted the heart of campus in April 2025 and destroyed decades of student records along with graduation regalia just weeks before commencement. No one was hurt in the fire, but the damage to the tribal college has lingered for more than a year and a half.
Jury Verdict Caps Long Investigation
According to KOAT, prosecutors said Bia broke into the Diné College student union in April 2025, stole items from inside, and then set the building ablaze. The federal jury’s guilty verdict was announced this week, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona confirmed that sentencing has been scheduled for Jan. 11, 2027, before U.S. District Judge Diane J. Humetewa. The federal arson conviction carries a maximum penalty of up to 25 years in prison, along with a potential fine of $250,000 or the cost of repairing or replacing the destroyed property, whichever is greater, or both, per KOAT’s report.
The investigation drew on multiple agencies. The Navajo Nation Criminal Investigator’s Office joined the FBI Phoenix Division’s Gallup office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in building the case, the station reported. ATF Special Agent in Charge A.J. Gibes said arson endangers lives, destroys community institutions, erases important legacies, and threatens shared safety, according to the same report.
Fire Tore Through Campus Before Dawn
The fire was first detected around 2:15 a.m. on April 14, 2025, according to the Navajo Times. Diné College said the next morning that the fire caused significant damage to the Student Union Building, and that no injuries had been reported. The college also reported that critical facilities, including the Post Office and the Navajo Nation Child Care/Day Care, were temporarily closed, while meals and housing were relocated to alternative sites.
The losses went beyond the building itself. The student union burned down along with the school store, which held records dating back to the 1950s, as well as new graduation gowns meant for the upcoming commencement, the Navajo-Hopi Observer reported. A Diné College representative said the fire’s destruction of the student union disrupted essential student and community services, displaced numerous departments, and created operational challenges that continue today, according to KOAT’s report.
Rebuilding Plans Face a Funding Gap
In the days after the fire, the college outlined steps toward recovery. According to a report from azfamily.com, administrators said they would review evacuation plans, improve communication strategies, update lockdown procedures and enhance on-campus security. The college also said it implemented support services, including counseling, for students and staff affected by the fire.
Diné College laid out a phased reconstruction timeline, with initial efforts beginning in May 2025 that included document retrieval and structural assessments, the college said. The reconstruction of the Student Union Building was expected to unfold in phases, with completion anticipated by October 2026.
But the financial picture has grown more complicated since then. A regular meeting document dated Jan. 23, 2026, addressed an insurance-related funding gap.
