Submitted Photo Two wildland fires in McKenzie County on Thursday burned more than 3,000 acres. Photo from North Dakota National Guard.

BISMARCK – Two wildland fires started in McKenzie County near Watford City on Thursday, according to North Dakota Emergency Services information.

Watford City Fire Department led incident command for the first fire, and Keene was primary on the second with mutual aid called from Arnegard, Alexander and Dunn. With winds gusting up to 35 MPH and one fire in difficult terrain, the simultaneous fires overwhelmed local resources. Upon request and via continuous communication, officials within the State Emergency Operations Center dispatched state resources to join the fight, including engines and crews from North Dakota Forest Service and a Black Hawk aerial crew from the N.D. National Guard.

A Black Hawk helicopter from the N.D. National Guard dropped about 24,000 gallons of water on the fire over the span of three hours, aiding the ground crew in the steep and difficult terrain with aerial support.

Locals and responders on the ground, along with intel from the North Dakota Department of Water Resources and the National Weather Service together identified open water as nearby dipping sources — a difficulty as many water sources are still frozen over. The helicopter was able to successfully dip water out of the Missouri River in the Lake Sakakawea area. The N.D. Highway Patrol also provided aerial imagery of the fires in advance of the helicopter’s arrival to increase situational awareness and scoping of the fires.

The N.D. Forest service sent three engines and one UTV along with crews to fight the fires on the ground. Two N.D. Forest Service engines continued operations through the night to monitor. Ten structures were threatened and some citizens were evacuated from homes. To date, no structures were damaged. In total, the two fires burned more than 3,000 acres.

Local and state responding crews, including reinforcements from Dickinson Rural Fire District and Twin Valley Fire Department, were on mop-up operations on Friday. Dickinson Rural Fire District was placed on standby on Thursday as part of the N.D. State Wildland Task Force.

Since Gov. Kelly Armstrong signed a Fire Emergency Declaration on March 10 there have been 92 reported fire starts burning a total of 8,400 acres. The Fire Emergency Declaration gives authority for state agencies to ready, pre-position and respond rapidly in these dynamic fire conditions that exist across the state. The N.D. Department of Emergency Services hosts a twice-a-week Fire Readiness Level call that includes all necessary agencies as part of the State Emergency Operations Plan.

The Fire Emergency is effective through May 31, unless extended. Officials warn that this statewide wildland fire threat remains until green-up.

North Dakotans can help prevent fires by taking the following actions:

– Always “Learn Before You Burn” by checking with your local officials for the latest information on burn restrictions and viewing fire danger maps at the NDResponse website. The governor’s declaration is not a fire restriction or ban.

– Burned brush piles can reignite with high winds, so careful monitoring of piles and burned sloughs is recommended, even if the fire appears to be out.

– Always stay off dry grass when driving a vehicle, as hot exhaust pipes can be a heat source for starting a wildfire.