2025 North Dakota wildfires

2025 North Dakota wildfires
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The 2025 North Dakota wildfires were a series of wildfires that burned in the U.S. state of North Dakota.

Background

Spring fire season

North Dakota has seen its spring wildfire season begin earlier and extend longer, primarily due to lower winter precipitation, minimal snowpack, and higher-than-normal temperatures and winds, particularly in western parts of the state. These conditions leave grasses and vegetation dry and highly flammable. As a result, state agencies have started coordinating wildfire response efforts earlier in the spring, involving entities like the North Dakota Forest Service, Department of Emergency Services, National Guard, and National Weather Service.[1]

Year-round wildfire potential and management

Wildfire risk in North Dakota persists outside of those two primary windows—spring and fall—thanks to the combination of dry climate, lightning, and human-caused ignitions. Annually, the state averages around 1,800 wildland fire incidents, with major causes including lightning, escaped controlled burns, equipment operations, and smoking materials. Local jurisdictions can impose burn restrictions based on the fire danger level to help prevent uncontrolled fires.[2]

Summary

North Dakota’s 2025 wildfire season has already seen significant early activity, especially across tribal lands and in grassland regions. In early May, at least 16 wildfires were reported statewide, several burning on the Turtle Mountain Reservation, with estimated acreage of about 6.5 square miles (4,160 acres).[3][4]

In mid-May, during a stretch of red flag warnings with dry, windy weather, about 60 fire starts were recorded over a weekend, burning more than 1,100 new acres, in addition to existing fires. Some of the larger new ignitions included 500 acres northeast of Glen Ullin (Morton County) and 125 acres near McClusky, Sheridan County.[5][6]

Smoke from these fires and from distant sources has sometimes degraded local air quality in adjacent counties, especially on inversion days or when winds are weak. North Dakota also maintains a Fire Weather Operating Plan that defines a fire season roughly from early April through late October, and outlines fire danger rating matrices, red flag procedures, and coordination among local, state, and federal agencies.[7]

List of wildfires

The following is a list of fires that burned more than 1,000 acres (400 ha), produced significant structural damage, or resulted in casualties.

Name County Acres Start date Containment date[a] Notes Ref.
Paur Grand Forks 1,816 March 6 March 6 [9]
Highway 49 Grant 3,960 March 11 March 11 [10]
Cedar River Sioux, Grant, Adams 8,960 April 9 April 13 Burned on South Dakota border 13 miles (21 km) north of Lemmon, South Dakota. [11][12]
Hwy 14 Sheridan 4,100 April 12 April 12 Injured two firefighters. [13]
Unknown Mountrail 1,600 May 4 May 5 [14]
Potato Hill Emmons 1,302 April 12 April 12 [15][16]
Buckhorn Archery Rolette 1,308 April 30 May 14 [17]
Backburn Rolette 1,342 May 3 May 15 [18]
Unknown Mountrail 1,600 May 4 May 5 [19]
Pouch Point Mountrail 2,000 May 4 May 14 [20]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Containment means that fire crews have established and secured control lines around the fire's perimeter. These lines are artificial barriers, like trenches or cleared vegetation, designed to stop the fire's spread, or natural barriers like rivers. Containment reflects progress in managing the fire but does not necessarily mean the fire is starved of fuel, under control, or put out.[8]

References

  1. ^ "North Dakota Prepares for Earlier, and Longer Spring Fire Season". North Dakota Department of Emergency Services. Retrieved August 14, 2025.
  2. ^ "Burn Restrictions & Wildland Fires". North Dakota Department of Emergency Services. Retrieved August 14, 2025.
  3. ^ "Wildfires burn thousands of acres on tribal lands in North Dakota". May 6, 2025. Retrieved October 5, 2025.
  4. ^ "Wildfires on Tribal Lands in North Dakota Highlight Emergency Response and Drought Risk". May 8, 2025. Retrieved October 5, 2025.
  5. ^ "Fires Break Out Across North Dakota During Long Stretch of Red Flag Warnings". May 12, 2025. Retrieved October 5, 2025.
  6. ^ "Fires impact 14 counties across North Dakota over the weekend". May 12, 2025. Retrieved October 5, 2025.
  7. ^ "2025 North Dakota Fire Weather Operating Plan" (PDF). Retrieved October 5, 2025.
  8. ^ "What containment and other wildfire related terms mean". Los Angeles: KCAL-TV. September 12, 2024. Retrieved July 25, 2025.
  9. ^ "Paur Fire". NASA. Retrieved March 6, 2025.
  10. ^ "Hwy 49 Fire Map". Watch Duty. Retrieved March 11, 2025.
  11. ^ "Cedar River Fire Map". Watch Duty. Retrieved April 9, 2025.
  12. ^ Darnay, Keith (April 11, 2025). "Shifting winds affecting work on Cedar River wildfire". KX Television. CBS. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
  13. ^ "'Massive and chaotic': N.D. grass fire injures firefighters, destroys fire truck". FireRescue1. April 15, 2025. Retrieved April 17, 2025.
  14. ^ "Vegetation Fire Map". Watch Duty. Retrieved May 6, 2025.
  15. ^ "Potato Hill Fire Map". Watch Duty. Retrieved August 14, 2025.
  16. ^ Nygaard, Brad; Nicholson, Blake (April 15, 2025). "'Massive and chaotic': N.D. grass fire injures firefighters, destroys fire truck". The Bismarck Tribune. Fire Rescue 1. Retrieved August 14, 2025.
  17. ^ "Buckhorn Archery - Wildfire and Smoke Map". USAToday. Retrieved May 13, 2025.
  18. ^ "Backburn - Wildfire and Smoke Map". Daily Press. Retrieved May 15, 2025.
  19. ^ "Vegetation Fire Map". Watch Duty. Retrieved May 6, 2025.
  20. ^ Oklahoman, The. "Pouch Point". The Oklahoman. Retrieved May 8, 2025.


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