2025 North Dakota wildfires
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| 2025 North Dakota wildfires | |
|---|---|
← 2024 |
The 2025 North Dakota wildfires were a series of wildfires that burned in the U.S. state of North Dakota.
Spring fire season
North Dakota has seen its spring wildfire season begin earlier and extend longer, primarily due to lower winter precipitation, minimal snowpack, and higher-than-normal temperatures and winds, particularly in western parts of the state. These conditions leave grasses and vegetation dry and highly flammable. As a result, state agencies have started coordinating wildfire response efforts earlier in the spring, involving entities like the North Dakota Forest Service, Department of Emergency Services, National Guard, and National Weather Service.[1]
Year-round wildfire potential and management
Wildfire risk in North Dakota persists outside of those two primary windows—spring and fall—thanks to the combination of dry climate, lightning, and human-caused ignitions. Annually, the state averages around 1,800 wildland fire incidents, with major causes including lightning, escaped controlled burns, equipment operations, and smoking materials. Local jurisdictions can impose burn restrictions based on the fire danger level to help prevent uncontrolled fires.[2]
Summary
North Dakota’s 2025 wildfire season has already seen significant early activity, especially across tribal lands and in grassland regions. In early May, at least 16 wildfires were reported statewide, several burning on the Turtle Mountain Reservation, with estimated acreage of about 6.5 square miles (4,160 acres).[3][4]
In mid-May, during a stretch of red flag warnings with dry, windy weather, about 60 fire starts were recorded over a weekend, burning more than 1,100 new acres, in addition to existing fires. Some of the larger new ignitions included 500 acres northeast of Glen Ullin (Morton County) and 125 acres near McClusky, Sheridan County.[5][6]
Smoke from these fires and from distant sources has sometimes degraded local air quality in adjacent counties, especially on inversion days or when winds are weak. North Dakota also maintains a Fire Weather Operating Plan that defines a fire season roughly from early April through late October, and outlines fire danger rating matrices, red flag procedures, and coordination among local, state, and federal agencies.[7]
List of wildfires
The following is a list of fires that burned more than 1,000 acres (400 ha), produced significant structural damage, or resulted in casualties.
| Name | County | Acres | Start date | Containment date[a] | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paur | Grand Forks | 1,816 | March 6 | March 6 | [9] | |
| Highway 49 | Grant | 3,960 | March 11 | March 11 | [10] | |
| Cedar River | Sioux, Grant, Adams | 8,960 | April 9 | April 13 | Burned on South Dakota border 13 miles (21 km) north of Lemmon, South Dakota. | [11][12] |
| Hwy 14 | Sheridan | 4,100 | April 12 | April 12 | Injured two firefighters. | [13] |
| Unknown | Mountrail | 1,600 | May 4 | May 5 | [14] | |
| Potato Hill | Emmons | 1,302 | April 12 | April 12 | [15][16] | |
| Buckhorn Archery | Rolette | 1,308 | April 30 | May 14 | [17] | |
| Backburn | Rolette | 1,342 | May 3 | May 15 | [18] | |
| Unknown | Mountrail | 1,600 | May 4 | May 5 | [19] | |
| Pouch Point | Mountrail | 2,000 | May 4 | May 14 | [20] |
