Fires have been laying waste to much of the landscape of western North Dakota over the weekend as firefighters continue to battle multiple wildfires across the state
Multiple wildfires have broken out in western North Dakota this week burning tens of thousands of acres, leaving one person dead and destroying several structures.
The fires began late Friday night and early Saturday morning as emergency crews, farmers, ranchers and other personal continue to battle the blazes into Sunday. North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum declared a state of emergency on Friday as strong winds reaching up to 75 mph are making containing these fires extremely difficult.
Several of the fires remain at 0% containment as of 3:30 p.m. Sunday, according to Emergency Services and have so far destroyed 25,000 acres, two homes and several outbuildings.
The fire has claimed one live so far as a fire near Ray, North Dakota killed 26-year-old Johannes Nicolaas Van Eeden, of South Africa ( Image: KFYR TV)
“It’s been extremely hard simply because of the winds. We had gusts in the mid-70s yesterday,” Watford City rancher Lynn Heiser told local news outlet The Forum.
The fire has claimed one live so far as a fire near Ray, North Dakota killed 26-year-old Johannes Nicolaas Van Eeden, of South Africa, according to the Williams County Sheriffs Office. A second person was injured during the fires and was taken to a local hospital with critical injuries.
“This may go down in history as one of the worst combined fire situations in North Dakota history,” North Dakota Adjutant Gen. Mitch Johnson said in a statement. “Yesterday we were on defense, but today we’re on offense.”
The fires near Ray and Tioga were 90% contained as of Sunday with firefighters still battling flare-ups, according to authorities. Those fired has grown to merge with each other and caused downed power lines, burned vehicles and destroyed oil tanks.
Authorities said the extent of the damage is not yet known but they are continuing to assess the situation. The Elkhorn fire near Grassy Butte was at one time 12 miles long and 5 miles wide, according to state officials. The fire burning near Arnegard has destroyed 561 acres and burned vehicles and outbuildings before firefighters finally extinguished the blaze early Sunday morning.
Officials were also able to extinguish two fires near Garrison and Charlson, with the fire near Garrison being stopped just 1-mile shy of reaching the city. The Charlson fire was about 2 miles wide according to officials and downed power lines in the area, but no other damages were reported, according to authorities.
The topography of the region has made battling these fires particularly difficult as they span the rolling hills of the area all the way into the badlands.
“I’ve fought fires for 27 years across the nation, including International, and can honestly say I’ve never seen anything like this,” North Dakota Forest Service Manager Ryan Melin said in a statement. “Historic day, historic damage; unprecedented response.”
The topography of the region has made battling these fires particularly difficult as they span the rolling hills of the area all the way into the badlands.
