Countryside on fire

The dry, windy conditions have made our area ripe for fire activity recently, with volunteer firefighters battling large blazes at all hours of the day and night. The worst of the fires have occurred north and east of us, in Benson and Nelson counties.

Local officials didn't hesitate to implement burn restrictions in March, as the National Weather Service issued guidance that drought conditions were expected to persist throughout the spring. On March 19, Spirit Lake officials suspended all public burning and burn permits on the Spirit Lake Reservation. "Fuels are extremely dry and weather plays a critical role in Fire behavior," the Spirit Lake Fire Department posted on Facebook. The suspension remained in effect through Wednesday, March 24. Then on Sunday, March 28, all open burning and burn permits were again suspended as of 4 p.m. The suspension was still in effect as of press time.

Eddy County's burn ban proclamation, as reported in last week's Transcript, was enacted Monday, March 22. It was only a matter of days before the burn ban officially went into effect. As the proclamation states, all burning is banned in Eddy County at any time the fire danger rating is "very high" or "extreme," or if a Red Flag Warning is issued. The first Red Flag Warning was issued for our area on Sunday, effectively putting the ban into effect.

Volunteer crews have responded to several fires since implementing their burn bans. Spirit Lake was among the hardest hit, as the Spirit Lake Fire Department shared a video reporting "one of the many fires we have had," on their Facebook page, on Monday. Suspecting humans may have set at least some of the fires, officials on the Spirit Lake Reservation are asking for anyone with information about how the fires started to call their hotline at 1-800-472-7766.

Most notably, firefighters battled a large fire near Devils Heart Butte on Monday. Residents and travelers were asked to avoid BIA 20 and 21, all the way east to Spring Lake, Monday evening. Some residents were evacuated for hours, due to the ongoing threat of what they dubbed the "21 Gulch" fire, with displaced residents going to the Spirit Lake Recreation Center for shelter. The evacuation order was lifted around 1 a.m., Tuesday morning, after crews were able to contain the blaze.

As reported on their Facebook page, the Spirit Lake Fire Department was assisted by the Whitehorse Hill fire crew, Devils Lake Rural Fire Protection District, Sheyenne Fire Department, Benson County Sheriff's Office, Ramsey County Sheriff's Office, Fort Totten Police Department, Spirit Lake Tribal Security, and countless volunteers. We were unable to reach tribal officials for comment.

Matt Eversvik, a volunteer for the Warwick Fire Department, said their small crew of five were called to two fires at 1:30 a.m. on Monday morning. While Spirit Lake officials and other departments attended to a fire north of town, the Warwick volunteers fought a blaze around mile marker 75 of Hwy. 20. One of their brush fire units got stuck, so a tractor was called in to pull it out. They made it home around 5:30 a.m., after 30 acres had been scorched and a few electrical poles damaged.

Nelson County implemented its burn ban, Monday, March 29. Hours later, a fire that started south of McVille burned approximately three square miles of countryside in Nelson County's Nesheim Township. McVille Fire Department was called to the scene at 1:13 p.m., Monday. It took over 10 hours to contain the blaze, and five area fire departments were called in for mutual aid, according to McVille Fire Chief Thomas Trostad. No occupied structures were damaged in the fire, although farmsteads were threatened and a couple of abandoned buildings were burned.

Wind gusts on Monday exceeded 60 mph in the area, with the Devils Lake Airport recording 61 mph. Spirit Lake fire crews reported that they had encountered wind gusts of up to 72 mph, while fighting the "21 Gulch" incident near Tokio. A wind advisory was also in effect for Eddy, Barnes, Benson, Cavalier, Griggs, Nelson, Ramsey, Towner, and western Walsh counties on Tuesday.

The Warwick volunteers were called to another fire, northwest of town, on Tuesday morning at 9 a.m., around 84th Ave NE and Hwy. 20. Multiple fire departments assisted with that blaze, which they were able to stop before it crossed Hwy. 20. Eversvik said 300 to 400 acres were burned that day. The Warwick School was evacuated as a precautionary measure, and residents were asked to prepare for evacuation, which fortunately was not necessary. Eversvik said they are grateful for the mutual aid of area fire departments, as Spirit Lake brought seven units to Tuesday's fire, and the Sheyenne Fire Department and Devils Lake Rural crews were also on scene to assist. That fire was contained by 2 p.m., according to Eversvik. No structures were damaged, and no one was injured. Benson County implemented its burn restrictions on March 31, the day we talked to Eversvik.

As of press time Thursday, another Red Flag Warning was in effect until 10 p.m. For daily updates, go to ndresponse.gov and click on "Burn Ban Restrictions & Fire Danger Maps. We'll also keep you up to date on the New Rockford Transcript Facebook page.

Readers should observe the following wildfire preparedness tips when a wildfire is in their area:

• Stay aware of the latest news and updates from your local media and fire department.

• Get your family, home and pets prepared to evacuate.

• Place an emergency supply kit and other valuables in your vehicle.

• Move patio or deck furniture, cushions, door mats and potted plants in wooden containers either indoors, or as far away from the home, shed and garage as possible.

• Close and protect your home's openings, including attic and basement doors and vents, windows, garage doors and pet doors, to prevent embers from penetrating your home.

• Connect garden hoses and fill any pools, hot tubs, garbage cans, tubs, or other large containers with water. Firefighters have been known to use the hoses to put out fires on rooftops.

• Leave as early as possible, before you are told to evacuate. Do not linger once evacuation orders have been given. Promptly leaving your home and neighborhood clears the roads for firefighters to get equipment in place to fight the fire, and helps ensure residents' safety.

• After the fire has been contained, continue to listen to news updates for information about the fire.

• Return home only when authorities say it is safe.

• Visit FEMA/Ready.gov for more information regarding wildfire after an emergency.

For more fire prevention safety tips and resources, go to nfpa.org.