Led by N.D. Department of Emergency Services and the N.D. Forest Service, Unified Command has been tracking 16 wildland fires burning Monday, many of which were able to be contained by local first responders with neighboring mutual aid.

Fires burning in the area of the Turtle Mountain Reservation in north-central North Dakota, however, are located in a heavy timber area that is holding heat and causing fire restarts. In addition, there have been several new firestarts each day. Ground crews assisted by aerial surveys estimate there are three distinct fires with multiple columns and smokestacks that have been merging and dividing.

Protecting homes and other structures continues to be the main concern as an estimated 10 to 15 primary structures are still threatened by each fire in the Turtle Mountain area. The N.D. Forest Service credits aerial support from a N.D. National Guard UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter with water bucket to have successfully saved several residences. At this time, only one abandoned trailer home is believed to have been lost.

On Saturday, the N.D. Forest Service sent two engines and firefighters to Turtle Mountain at the request of local incident command. Additional resources were dispatched to the area, including additional N.D. Forest Service engines, a truck from the Department of Emergency Services, and N.D. Wildland Task Force members from Kindred, Devils Lake, Burlington, Bismarck Rural, and Williston fire departments. Single engine air tankers flew the fire on Sunday, followed by one N.D. National Guard Black Hawk dropping water on Monday. Civil Air Patrol flew the area Monday to provide intelligence on the fires, including locating fire starts and hotspots undetectable from the ground. Aerial support continued Tuesday at the request of local incident commanders.

Submitted Photo Smoke fills the air from fires north of Belcourt on Monday in photos taken from a North Dakota National Guard Black Hawk helicopter while participating in firefighting efforts. Photos from North Dakota National Guard.

A temporary flight restriction was put in place over the Turtle Mountain fire complex to ensure a safe airspace for aviation support. The use of drones makes emergency aerial operations unsafe and was restricted at this time.

An additional N.D. National Guard Black Hawk was dispatched to the Mandaree area fire on Monday to aid ground crews in difficult terrain inaccessible by fire engines. Additional resources were also requested, including two engines from South Dakota and three engines from Miles City, Montana. The Williston Fire Department also supported the fire as part of the N.D. Wildland Task Force, as did other local and tribal fire departments under mutual aid requests.

Additional fires, now considered contained, also received state support including a fire in Hazen where N.D. Forest Service dispatched Dickinson Rural and Gladstone through the state N.D. Wildland Task Force. A fire in Rolla on Sunday caused evacuations.

The state has been hosting bi-weekly readiness calls and pre-positioning firefighting resources across North Dakota since March, when Gov. Kelly Armstrong declared a statewide fire emergency and activated the State Emergency Operations Plan.

The State Emergency Operation Center and Unified Command will continue to work with appropriate agencies and jurisdictions to provide a common operating picture and to dispatch resources and aid upon request.

The weather and ground conditions are forecasted for elevated fire danger through the week, especially into the weekend.

May 5 Fires:

Turtle Mountain (3 distinct fires/1 fire complex)

Incident Commander: Belcourt Fire Department

Size: estimated size of the combined fire complex is 4,200 acres

Containment: unknown

Three Affiliated Tribes (2)

Incident Commander: U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs

Size: estimated 1,800 acres

Containment: 40%

Incident Commander: Mandaree Fire Department

Size: estimated 200-300 acres

Containment: 100%

Burke County (1)

Incident Commander: Powers Lake Fire Department

Size: unknown

Containment: 100%