News Releases for June 2002
June 30, 2002
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Fires Contained In Sioux And Grant Counties
BISMARCK, N.D. - At Governor John Hoeven’s direction, the North Dakota Division of Emergency Management, National Guard and Highway Patrol continued to work in conjunction with Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) firefighters to help contain wildfires in Sioux and Grant counties.
Hoeven, Director of the Division of Emergency Management (DEM) Doug Friez and Adjutant General Mike Haugen, commander of the North Dakota National Guard (NDNG), flew over the site of the wildfires Sunday morning to help evaluate the status and provide additional assistance to local and federal firefighters. They were accompanied by state Representative Rod Froelich of Selfridge, Sioux County Sheriff Frank Landeis and State Forest Service Fire Coordinator Mike Santucci.
“Our hearts go out to these folks,” Hoeven said.. “The wildfires add another layer of burden to people who are already coping with the hardship of a drought and a shortage of grazing and forage.”
Earlier, Hoeven had ordered National Guard tanker trucks to Fort Yates to replenish water supplies on fire trucks. During the flyover a new fire erupted a mile and a half north of Fort Yates, and Hoeven ordered two National Guard UH-1H (HUEY) helicopters and a third surveillance helicopter to the scene to coordinate with BIA firefighters on the ground. The helicopters working with ground crews successfully controlled the fire before it reached several houses and other structures in its path.
Hoeven, Friez and Haugen met with federal and local officials at the fire command center in Fort Yates to coordinate the state’s resources with federal and local agencies. The Governor also met with Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Council officials.
Shortly before 3 p.m. Saturday BIA notified state emergency management officials that fires they had been battling since early that morning had become uncontrollable. The town of Shields, N.D. was burned, and about 18 people were evacuated. Approximately 150 people were evacuated Saturday from the nearby town of Porcupine, which did not suffer damage.
Hoeven immediately activated the North Dakota DEM and other state agencies, which provided support and assistance to local and federal firefighters throughout the night. North Dakota Forest Service Fire Management Coordinator Mike Santucci was dispatched to Fort Yates to assist.
As of late Sunday afternoon there were no reports of injuries or fatalities. The fires had been contained overnight, and estimates of the extent of the fire area were revised downward to about 7,000 acres Sunday. New fires, however, sprouted Sunday morning, which is when the Governor ordered in National Guard helicopters.
“We will continue to assist local and federal firefighters with state resources in the drought areas,” Hoeven said. “We have thirteen counties in southwest and south central North Dakota where individuals are not permitted to burn or use fireworks. We need to remember that it is much easier to prevent wildfires than it is to control them once they start.”
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