News Releases for July 2006
July 20, 2006
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Hoeven Tours Sioux County Fire Area, Meets With Tribal Officials
BISMARCK, N.D. - Gov. John Hoeven was in Sioux County today to see firsthand the damage resulting from a grass fire that has been burning there since Tuesday and to assist with local, state and federal fire-fighting efforts. Hoeven, along with Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Chairman Ron His Horse Is Thunder and N.D. Division of Homeland Security Director Greg Wilz, toured the area by air and met with tribal officials at Fort Yates.
"This fire has burned pasture and grass land in Sioux County," Hoeven said. "Local and tribal authorities, as well as state and federal resources have the fire 80 percent contained and hope to have it fully controlled by this evening. We will continue to work with local and tribal officials to help in any way we can to protect residents and firefighters, and mitigate damage to property."
Hoeven earlier dispatched a National Guard UH-60 Blackhawk and a UH-1 Huey helicopter with water buckets to assist local authorities. The helicopters, with their water drop buckets, were able to keep the fire from burning several farmsteads in the immediate area.
Global positioning system (GPS) reporting indicates the fire, called the Lund Fire by fire officials, has consumed 10,500 acres of rough terrain, pasture and open grass land between Fort Yates and Selfridge. Fire officials have cut a fire break surrounding the flames to aid in containing it. Interior pockets continue to burn as fire fighters begin doing 'mop-up' of the outer perimeters.
This morning, the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) turned over Incident Command of this fire to a Type II Incident Management Team (IMT) specializing in battling large scale fires. The IMT will coordinate resources to combat the Lund Fire, as well as the Stone Church Fire in South Dakota.
Existing North Dakota crews will continue to assist in containing the Lund Fire at Fort Yates. Two N.D. Forest Service engines and crews have been released and sent back to their stations in Fort Lincoln State Park and Bottineau to be made available for future need.
Hoeven last week issued a fire emergency, which is still in effect, enabling activation of the state Emergency Operations Plan and state assistance, and activated the N.D. Department of Transportation, Highway Patrol, and other state agencies to assist the firefighting effort as needed.
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