Wildfire Status: October 18, 2024

BISMARCK, ND ( KXNET ) — Some welcome rain may have fallen in parched areas of western North Dakota, but it isn’t enough to stop wildfires from breaking out. Here’s a quick summary of the status of wildfires in western North Dakota and elsewhere, power outages and other related news:

Scranton Fire. A wildfire broke out October 17 near Scranton in Bowman County. Initial reports put the blaze just north of the community, between highways 21 and 12. Crews responding include fire departments from Scranton, Reeder, Bowman, and Hettinger and North Dakota Forest Service. The fire is believed contained.

Carson Fire. A haybale fire broke out about eight miles northeast of Carson recently, according to the North Dakota Fire Monitor. No other details are available.

Fires in eastern North Dakota. Several wildfires broke out October 17 in the southeast corner of the state. A grass fire was reported about 8 miles northwest of Wyndmere, while a combine/grass fire was reported near Milnor. Both fires are believed contained.

Elkhorn Fire. The nearly two-week old Elkhorn wildfire has been 100 percent contained, according to forest and fire officials. About 10,885 acres burned in the blaze.

Bear Den Fire. As of October 18, the Bear Den fire near Mandaree is reported to be 85% contained and has burned almost 11,746 acres, according to the state forest service.

Buffalo Gap Fire. The blaze, which broke out October 15 north of I-94, one-mile east of Buffalo Gap, has been contained . According to the Golden Valley Sheriff, the fire is no longer spreading. The estimated size of the fire is approximately 1,000 acres. Firefighters from the State of North Dakota and Golva also responded to the blaze.

Bismarck/Wilton Fire. Located in the Double Ditch area (west of Highway 83 between Bismarck and Wilton), the fire broke out on the evening of October 12 and was contained the next day. In total, the fire was approximately five miles long, and 1/2 to 3/4 of a mile wide. Roughly 2,200 to 2,300 acres were burned.

Pasture 10 fire in Theodore Roosevelt National Park. According to the North Dakota Forest Service’s Facebook page , the fire started October 10 in pasture 10 of the north unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, roughly 2 miles west of highway 85. It has been contained .

Ray-Tioga-Alamo Fire . What started as separate fires over the weekend merged into one, covering 88,934 acres. As of October 17, that fire is 100% contained .

New map tracks status of ND fires. A map has been released by the North Dakota Department of Emergency Services that tracks all the active wildfires in the state. The map has live status information that includes the size and how much has been contained. You can access the map here .

Power outages. The Mountrail-Williams Power Cooperative has been working at a near-constant pace since the weekend fires, restoring power to homes, businesses and other locations throughout Williams County. According to the cooperative’s outage map as of October 18, about 24 people and rural operations are still without power.

Injuries and deaths. In a report to the Williams County Commission October 8, it was noted two people have died and six others injured as a result of the wildfires. Nicolaas van Eeden of South Africa and Ed Coppersmith, Tioga, died in separate incidents.

Fire restrictions . They’re in effect practically everywhere. Dakota Prairie Grasslands – U.S. Forest Service reminds people that deep fire restrictions are in effect on forest service lands in ND while the fire danger remains high. According to the DPG’s Emergency Fire Order and Restrictions, building, maintaining, attending, or using a fire or campfire is currently prohibited; however, there are conditional provisions for using liquid petroleum stoves and grills. Also, there are established conditions for smoking in designated spaces, but be careful with those butts. Don’t toss or walk away from lit cigarettes and other smoking materials. Vegetation everywhere across the region is extremely dry and flammable. Additionally, traveling by all-wheeled motor vehicles on non-surfaced (Prairie Two-track) National Forest System Roads is also off the activity list while on the DPG. You can find the full order here: https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/dpg/alerts-notices/?aid=91474 .

Other notes. State and local officials expect the fire danger conditions to continue through the fall.

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