WATFORD CITY, N.D. (KFGO) – Authorities say more than eighteen agencies have been fighting large wildfires that began Friday across western North Dakota. Some of the fires have been contained, others continue to burn across wide areas.
The Bear Den fire near Mandaree has covered 25,000 acres. The Alamo and Tioga fires in Williams County began as two but merged into one. First responders reported two people suffered critical burns in the Ray area. One died. He’s identified as 26-year-old Johannes Van Eeden of South Africa.
Two North Dakota National Guard UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters were working Sunday to drop water on the fires. The helicopters are back again today (Monday.) Air tankers from Montana were also used to drop fire retardants in some areas.
There have also been reports that the visibility from fires has been so bad there have been vehicle crashes. Multiple outages caused by the strong winds and wildfires have also hit parts of the region.
Governor Burgum is surveying damage and ongoing response efforts today with Adjutant General of the North Dakota National Guard, Brig. General Mitch Johnson.
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