Weekend wildfires lead to 1 death, large areas burned in western North Dakota

BISMARCK, N.D. — One person died and others were evacuated from their homes as wildfires sparked by high winds and dry conditions raged through parts of western North Dakota this weekend.

Six wildfires were reported, and as of Sunday evening, major fires near Grassy Butte and Mandaree were still considered 0% contained, the state Department of Emergency Services said. Four other fires were 90% to 100% contained as of 11:45 p.m. Sunday. Dry and windy conditions caused the weekend fires.

Johannes Nicolaas Van Eeden, 26, of South Africa, died as a result of serious injuries from a large fire near Ray in northwestern North Dakota, the Williams County Sheriff’s Office said Sunday. Another person was seriously injured, the sheriff’s office said.

The fires were burning in scattered areas across a vast swath of North Dakota’s oil patch, including farmland, grassland and rugged Badlands terrain where small, rural towns dot the map.

At least two homes and numerous outbuildings were lost in the 10,117.15-acre Bear Dean Fire in the Mandaree area that is still burning, the department said. Damage from other fires included downed power lines, vehicles and outbuildings.

The fires led to evacuations in several areas and the temporary closure of US Highway 2 near Ray. It was not immediately clear how many people had been evacuated.

“This may go down as one of the worst combined fire situations in North Dakota history,” North Dakota Adjutant General Mitch Johnson said in a statement Sunday. “Yesterday we were on defense, but today we are on offense.”

Wind gusts reported Saturday morning in areas of western and central North Dakota ranged from 60 mph to 75 mph, according to the National Weather Service. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, most of western North Dakota is in some degree of drought.

North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum planned to take aerial tours of wildfire areas and meet with officials and locals on Monday.

Local, state, tribal and federal responders and agencies battled the fires, as well as National Guard firefighters and assistance from Montana and New Mexico, Burgum’s office said.