Wildfire status in ND: Two hurt in McClusky fire, other blazes dot the landscape
Apr 14, 2025
BISMARCK, ND (KXNET) — Wildfires are popping up like patches of weeds across North Dakota: Once you put down one infestation, another appears elsewhere.
And some of the fires are proving stubborn in resisting efforts to extinguish them, while others shift with the wind, abandoning firefighters
at one location to ignite once again at another spot.
At least two firefighters have been injured battling the rash of fires.
Here's what we know about the fires at this time:
A wildfire on Saturday, April 12, east of Highway 1804 in Emmons County is reportedly not burning anymore, according to fire officials. The North Dakota National Guard helped out in quelling the blaze, dropping 17 buckets of water on the fire — roughly, 10,000 gallons of water. That fire, according to reports, burned about 3,000 acres.
Another wildfire was reported Saturday afternoon near McClusky. Officials say that fire is out, too. According to fire reports, the blaze burned about 3,500 acres. But it didn't go out without a fight.
According to Goodrich Volunteer Fire Department Chief Brian Galvin, two first responders were injured, and one rescue truck was destroyed.
"The movement and heat intensity of this fire was incredibly overwhelming for the crew, the equipment and the trucks," Galvin posted on Facebook. "The wind gusts and switching winds made the fire more dangerous. Two firefighters were injured and one Wildland rescue truck was destroyed. One firefighter has been life-flighted to Minneapolis."
No names have been released.
"I estimate that the fire speed as 6 inches every second. The speed and variable terrain made for a difficult fire," wrote Galvin.
""I am incredibly blessed to watch the amount of help that everyone was willing to do for all of us. Food, water, snacks, fuel, gasoline and 1000 of prayers that were sent to us," Galvin noted. "Words truly can not express the amount of gratitude I have for everyone. I am truly honored to serve my community. Everyone that showed up feels the same. This is why we do what we do without any pay.""I am incredibly blessed to watch the amount of help that everyone was willing to do for all of us. Food, water, snacks, fuel, gasoline and 1000 of prayers that were sent to us," Galvin noted. "Words truly can not express the amount of gratitude I have for everyone. I am truly honored to serve my community. Everyone that showed up feels the same. This is why we do what we do without any pay.
The Cedar River fire, which had burned in Adams County and into parts of South Dakota since Wednesday, April 9, is reported today to be 100 percent contained. The blaze burned roughly 9,000 acres. Fire officials say eight outbuildings were destroyed in the blaze and no injuries were reported.
Other wildfires have been reported around North Dakota by various fire monitoring sites and services. Here's a roundup of what fires they're reporting, their locations, sizes and what percentage of each fire is contained. The information comes from official Facebook posts, the North Dakota Wildlands Fire Monitor, and the ESRI Current Wildfires Report for North Dakota:
Benson County, near Fort Totten: A wildfire, discovered on April 12, burned 9 acres.
Benson County, south of Devils Lake: A wildfire discovered April 12 burned about 8 acres of land.
Benson County, southeast of Devils Lake: A wildfire discovered on April 11 burned 40 acres of land.
Two other small fires in Benson County near Fort Totten burned about an acre between them in size.
Sioux County, near Fort Yates: a fire discovered April 9, burned nearly 15 acres.
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