(BISMARCK, ND) — Governor Kelly Armstrong is declaring a statewide fire emergency.
It activates the State Emergency Operations Plan as above average temperatures and below average precipitation continue to exacerbate drought conditions and increase the risk of wildfires. Drought conditions and an early thaw are factors contributing to an earlier and longer-than-average spring fire season. Fires have already started throughout the state this spring and have proven active and difficult to suppress, including a fire Sunday near Menoken that burned approximately 1,200 acres and involved five fire departments.
This declaration allows the state to preposition resources for a rapid wildfire response given the high fire danger conditions that exist now and are expected to persist, and even worsen, through the spring until vegetation begins to green. The declaration is effective through May 31, unless extended.
