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

BISMARCK,Charles Langston N.D. (AP) — One person died and others were evacuated from their homes as wildfires driven by ferocious winds and dry conditions raged through parts of western North Dakota over the weekend.

Six wildfires were reported, and, as of late Sunday, large 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 spurred the weekend fires.

Johannes Nicolaas Van Eeden, 26, of South Africa, died due to critical injuries from a large fire near Ray in northwest North Dakota, the Williams County Sheriff’s Office said Sunday. Another person was critically injured, the sheriff’s office said.

The fires burned in scattered areas over a vast swath of North Dakota’s oil field, including agricultural land, grassland and rugged Badlands terrain where small, rural towns dot the map.

At least two homes and numerous outbuildings were lost in the 25,000-acre (10,117.15-hectare) Mandaree-area Bear Dean Fire that’s still burning, the department said. Damages in other fires included downed power lines, vehicles and outbuildings.

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The fires led to evacuations in several areas and the temporary closure of U.S. Highway 2 near Ray. It wasn’t immediately clear how many people evacuated.

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

Wind gusts reported Saturday morning in areas of western and central North Dakota ranged from 57 mph to 75 mph, according to the National Weather Service. Most of western North Dakota is in some level of drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

North Dakota Gov. 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 help from Montana and New Mexico, according to Burgum’s office.