Three Affiliated Tribes emergency responders combat 11,000-acre Bear Den Fire

Community support has been overwhelming as the Three Affiliated Tribes battle round-the-clock to contain wildfires raging across northwest North Dakota.

One of at least six outbreaks over the weekend, the Bear Den Fire near Mandaree remains 20% contained at time of publication. As of early afternoon more than 11,000 acres were actively burning, including significant portions of the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation.

The fire has burned more than 28,000 acres since it began Saturday, according to the North Dakota Forest Service. They said a priority on Monday was controlling the fires with air support from the National Guard Black Hawk helicopters.

The Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation’s Emergency Operations Center lifted mandatory evacuation orders for residents of both Four Bears and West reservation segments by Sunday afternoon.

On Tuesday, Oct. 8 morning the MHA Emergency Operations Center (EOC) said that the Bear Den Fire has caused no injuries and only one residential home has been damaged.

Emily Sitting Bear, MHA Emergency Operations Center Director, wrote in a statement to Buffalo’s Fire, “The support has been exceptional from Tribal agencies, local, county, state, and federal agencies, non-profits, community members, and private businesses, all working together in a collaborative effort to provide assistance.”

Over 30 businesses and tribal, state and federal agencies have been working alongside volunteers since the fire began on Saturday. Their teamwork has been critical, authorities say, as steep, scrubby terrain have required responders to travel miles on foot with poor visibility.

The state’s department of emergency services has collected disaster recovery resources and services. This includes resources for farmers and ranchers, crisis help lines, financial assistance and how to navigate insurance claims.

Georgia Lepell, MHA EOC duty officer, is accepting the following donations Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Donation List

Authorities said a fire located near Ray killed one man, 26-year-old Johannes Nicolaas Van Eeden of South Africa, and left another in critical condition.

As crews continue battling blazes that began in the early morning hours on Saturday, community members are ensuring hot meals, toiletries and other supplies are available to those coming off long shifts or residents affected by the fires.

Rancher Howard Fettig was on fire watch near Bear Den Bay when he spoke to Buffalo’s Fire in the late morning on Monday. It’s been “neighbors helping neighbors, both on and off reservation,” he said.

MHA Nation’s Emergency Operations Center in New Town is requesting donated snacks, coffee, toiletries, and bottled water. Community members at the Emergency Response building in Mandaree welcome donations of brown paper bags to make sack lunches, toilet paper, paper towels, hand soap, kitchen trash bags, coffee, bath towels, and laundry soap.

Lyda Spotted Bear told Buffalo’s Fire the support staff and fire fighters have been very thankful for the consistent supply of hot meals as they rotate through shifts. A steady flow of local volunteers is providing supplies and delivery, Spotted Bear said.

The fire’s path missed Fettig’s home by just half a mile, razing fences, trees and the pasture where he had planned to graze animals this fall.

The crisis was nowhere over, he said, as Monday’s southern winds were making flare-ups’ path unpredictable.

He was one of many farmers and ranchers standing by with tractors to create fire lines – stretches of tilled soil stopping the spread of flames.

“I think it’s an eye-opener,” Fettig said. He hopes people understand it will happen again and “we need to have a better understanding on how to protect people.” Western North Dakota is in moderate to severe drought with no relief of dry conditions in the near future.

The Bear Den Fire drew a coordinated response from the tribes, U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs, North Dakota Forest Service, Department of Emergency Services, Army National Guard and Highway Patrol.

Dry conditions and high northwest winds – with gusts recorded over 75 miles per hour – pushed fires southeast on Saturday. The exact cause of the fires remains unknown.

Elkhorn Fire, which has burned more than 20,000 acres south of Watford City, was 20% contained Monday afternoon, with no reported injuries or destroyed residences.

By Sunday evening, emergency responders had almost entirely contained a fire near Arnegard and another by Charlson, the Garrison Fire near Emmet and two fires that merged between Ray and Tioga. Downed power lines have left more than 300 without electricity statewide.