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Wildfires still burning

Thousands of acres in western North Dakota have burned in the wildfires that started last weekend.

According to the North Dakota Department of Emergency Services (NDDES), as of Friday, three still active wildfires and a large contained fire had burned 111,046 acres.

The four active wildfires are:

– The Bear Den Fire in the Mandaree area burned 11,746 acres and was 60% contained as of Friday.

– The Elkhorn Fire near Grassy Butte burned 10,313 acres and was 60% contained.

– The Pasture 10 Fire near the North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, south of Watford City, burned 53 acres and was 99% contained.

– The Ray/Alamo/Tioga Fires in Williams County burned 88,934 acres and is 100% contained.

NDDES also reported acres burned in other fires including:

Arnegard Fire: about 561 acres.

Emmet Fire, west of Garrison: about 830 acres.

Charlson Fire: about 6,000 acres.

Local, federal and tribal firefighters, along with other emergency responders plus other residents, battled wildfires that started Oct. 4 and 5 across western North Dakota. The National Weather Service had issued a red flag warning for most of western and much of central North Dakota through last Saturday evening, with wind gusts reaching 70 mph or more.

Two deaths were associated with the wildfires: Johannes Nicolaas Van Eeden, 26, South Africa, and Edgar Coppersmith, 47, Tioga. According to the Williams County Sheriff’s Office, Coppersmith and Van Eeden were injured by the fires near Ray and Tioga, which later merged. Van Eeden, who worked at Wolla Farm and Ranch, died in the hospital of smoke inhalation. He had been scheduled to return to South Africa about a week before the birth of his daughter in mid-November, according to the George Herald. The South African newspaper reported it is believed Van Eeden was driving home from work when he became engulfed in a thick cloud of smoke. The intensity of the smoke caused his vehicle to stall, forcing him to leave it in an attempt to escape. Shortly afterwards, he came across a state trooper, who rushed him to the hospital.

Coopersmith died in a Denver trauma center Oct. 6, according to his obituary. Originally from Florida, he was known in the Tioga area as an exceptional diesel mechanic, welder and blacksmith who loved his horses, the obituary stated. His celebration of life is today in Tioga.

Eight other people also were injured in the fires, according to the sheriff’s office.

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