5,000-Acre Fire In Theodore Roosevelt NP 80% Contained; 70% Of North Dakota In Level 3 Drought

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Vast areas inside the North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park have been burned by the Horse Pasture Fire that started April 3. Above is a view of burned areas near the Battleship Butte in the park's interior.

Firefighters have continued to gain ground on a 5,000-acre fire in the North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park and Little Missouri National Grassland, McKenzie Ranger District. The National Park Service reported Saturday that the Horse Pasture Fire was 80% contained. The fire started April 3 and has forced the closure of the North Unit, the CCC Campground, the northern portion of the Maah Daah Hey Trail, the Long X and Sunset Trail, Summit Campground, and the Summit Overlook and Viewpoint Trails.

More than 80 firefighters from state and federal agencies are battling the fire, said J. Michael Johnson, a National Park Service spokesman. Some resources assigned to the blaze were sent Thursday evening to assist with a new fire southwest of Williston near Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site, Johnson said.

The National Weather Service on Friday issued a Red Flag Warning for the area which the Park Service said could continue through the weekend. The weather service forecasted winds from the northwest at 20 mph with gusts as high as 30 mph. Under Red Flag conditions all recreational burning is banned. That includes outdoor fire pits, fireplaces, portable outdoor fireplaces and chimineas.

North Dakota wildfires -- including one that forced a temporary evacuation of Medora -- have burned about 53 square miles this spring, more than triple what burned in all of 2020.

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https://bismarcktribune.com/news/local/horse-pasture-fire-80-contained/article_2b6ccaea-ea78-52e5-8f43-121c3cf7077e.html