TIOGA, ND ( KXNET )—Wildfires have left behind a path of destruction in several communities in North Dakota. Thousands of acres have been scorched, property has been destroyed and two people have died. Nicolaas Van Eeden and Ed Coppersmith died in those wildfires. KX News spoke with those near to Coppersmith, who some people are calling a hero.

October 5th started as an ordinary windy day in Tioga for 47-year-old Ed Coppersmith.

“I think about that day often,” Coppersmith’s life companion, June Brostuen, said.

But it quickly turned into a day the Coppersmith family will never forget.

“We could see the smoke from our house in town. And that’s when he came out here after that,” Brostuen said.

The fires in Williams County started claiming land quickly. Coppersmith and Brostuen rushed to their stables to check on their nine horses, which is something they always did, no matter the conditions.

“They were everything to him. Anytime storms would come through, like we had in April, we had those two storms that came through here that year. We stayed out here with them,” Brostuen said.

Brostuen said when they got to the stables, all they could see was smoke, but no flames yet.
Coppersmith told Brostuen to leave. Coppersmith stayed to save the horses, trying to load them into his trailer.

“All of a sudden, the fire came up over this hill. You couldn’t see the fire because of all the smoke, until it was pretty much on you,” Brostuen said.

Coppersmith’s son then drove through the blaze to find him.

“He had his suburban up here and so he had gotten in his suburban and drove up to the approach there. And that’s where his son found him,” Brostuen said. “They took off again and they had flames on both sides of the pickup. And when they got him in the vehicle, the last words Ed ever said were ‘I love you June’.”

Coppersmith was life-flighted to Denver and put into a medically induced coma, but passed away on October 6th at the trauma center. His spirit is living on through his horses that he saved in the blaze. Brostuen said that’s where she feels Coppersmith the most.

“I come out here every day. I’m out here twice a day or more and I talk to him every time I do the chores, I talk to Ed. And it’s where I can feel him,” Brostuen said.

Brostuen said she plans to keep the stables that they built together as she and the family continue to care for the horses, which meant the world to him.

Brostuen would like to thank the community for rallying around them during this difficult time. If you’d like to help the family pay for any expenses, click here.

Thanks for signing up!

Watch for us in your inbox.

Subscribe Now

Today's Top Stories

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KX NEWS.