North Dakota Deploys Firefighting Resources to Nebraska, South Dakota Amid Wildfire Threat

North Dakota deployed two North Dakota National Guard 600-gallon "Bambi Buckets" for aerial firefighting to Nebraska via the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) as historic wildfires tore across the Great Plains, and the North Dakota Forest Service sent an engine and three firefighters to assist crews battling the Qury Fire in South Dakota's Black Hills.

"When our neighbors ask for help, North Dakota answers the call, just as other states have come to our aid in times of crisis," Gov. Kelly Armstrong said. "We thank and pray for the success and safety of our firefighters and all those putting themselves in harm's way to protect life and property from these wildfires."

All three wildfires between Morrill, Cottonwood and Road 203 combined to burn over 800,000 acres in central and western Nebraska, with one person killed, according to media reports. As of March 19, Nebraska's two largest fires were burning at 67% and 78% contained with a combined area of 771,110 acres.

The Qury Fire presented a separate emergency in South Dakota's Black Hills. The Qury Fire started on a Thursday in a forested, mountainous area about 2 miles southeast of Custer in the southern Black Hills, where the winter had been unusually warm and dry. The Qury Fire burned 9,161 acres in Custer County, with containment reaching 44 percent by the evening of March 19. The collapsible Bambi Buckets, typically attached to helicopters, allow crews to transport large volumes of water directly to active fire lines in terrain that ground equipment cannot reach.

The aid came as North Dakota's own fire outlook darkened. As winter receded, conditions were expected to continue moving northward, with North Dakota already reporting 58 wildland fires so far this year and much of the southwest corner of the state experiencing periods of high fire danger. "Red flag" conditions moved northward into North Dakota, with high winds and low humidity triggering warnings and restrictions in several counties.

The North Dakota Department of Emergency Services had already convened Fire Readiness Level calls with state agencies and partners to ensure staff and equipment are prepositioned as conditions warrant and are prepared to offer surge support as requested by local, tribal and federal departments and agencies.

North Dakota state agencies were monitoring the situations in Nebraska and South Dakota closely and stood ready to offer additional support as requested through various state-to-state compacts, including EMAC.

Landowners and residents across Stutsman County can check current burn restrictions, fire danger ratings, red flag warnings and county declarations through the Stutsman County Emergency Management page at stutsmancounty.gov, or by calling the Stutsman County Communications Center at (701) 252-1000. Landowners considering spring burning are directed to check conditions and restrictions at NDResponse.gov/burn before igniting anything.

The regional toll of such fires carries weight well beyond the immediate season. Last fall, a remembrance event in Watford City honored those lost in the 2024 October wildfires, including Edgar Coppersmith and Johannes Nicolaas van Eeden, whose widow traveled from South Africa to attend. That event serves as a reminder that the consequences of unchecked wildfire reach far beyond the fire line itself, and that the mutual aid North Dakota extended last week is the same lifeline this region has needed before.