Which areas are most at risk?

While human caused fire can occur anywhere, certain areas of the state face a higher risk of naturally occurring wildfires, which typically do more damage. Areas heavy with woodland and experiencing drought and/or higher than normal temperatures are more likely to encounter wildfires. This typically includes western and west-central North Dakota.

You can use these state and national resources to see if your area is currently at risk or experiencing a burn ban:

Wildfire

A wildfire is a fire that spreads across a large portion of an area, typically woodland or forest. They can move fast and leave behind a trail of destruction, often forcing people to evacuate with little notice. In the aftermath, survivors may return to find their homes or land damaged or destroyed. The air can remain smoky for days, and there’s the added worry of health risks like breathing problems or injuries from debris. On top of the emotional toll, people are often left without essential documents, facing insurance complications, and struggling with the financial weight of recovery.

Wildfires are caused either by humans or nature. 85% of wildfires are preventable because they are caused by humans. Humans cause wildfires through unattended campfires, discarded debris, negligent use of flammable or combustible materials, and even intentional arson. But nature may also cause wildfires on its own during dry thunderstorms. Dry thunderstorms are thunderstorms that result in very little rain. Without enough rain, lightning bolts occurring during the thunderstorms can strike flammable materials on the ground, such as wood, and start a fire. If there are also high winds, any flames that ignite from a lightning strike can be quickly spread across a large area.

North Dakota has about 1,800 fire incidents per year. Common causes of North Dakota fires include lightning, smoking, sparks from trains or farm machinery, unattended cooking fires, hazardous materials spills, and other accidents.

Be Prepared

Know Your Surroundings:

In addition to knowing your community’s resources for disaster response, you should be aware of any safe locations the community has designated for shelter in case you’re not home when a disaster hits. Some communities may concentrate their resources around community-based buildings such as churches, event centers, or government buildings. Take time to view our county resources tab and locate the resources available in your community.

It’s also important to identify a route from your house, through your neighborhood, to a safer location within your community or in another community. Take time to view a map of your neighborhood and determine where the streets near your home lead to.

Assess Your Home's Risk:

Identify hazardous materials used in the construction of your home and understand how to mitigate combustion and put out any flames that may ignite.
When gardening and landscaping, use fire-resistant plants such as live oak trees, lilac, lavender, and daylilies.
Lay mesh screens beneath your porch to keep ignited debris from burning the decking materials.
Install dual sensor smoke detectors to sense smoke and flames.
Keep an escape ladder on hand.
Regularly monitor for flammable materials in or around your home and remove them or keep them stored safely.
Clean debris from your house regularly including leaves on your roof or twigs in your gutters.
Water your lawn to ensure vegetation near your home is moist enough to resist a spark.
Keep a garden hose long enough to extend to any part of your home.

Make a Plan:

Make an evacuation plan with your family and household members.
Ensure everyone knows what to do when a fire is detected.
Pack a disaster kit that is ready when you need to leave in a hurry.
Establish emergency contacts that do not live near you who are likely to be unaffected by a disaster occurring in your area. Talk through your disaster plan with them, let them know what you need them to do, and ensure everyone in your family or household has a way to contact this person.
File important legal documents in a fireproof safe so they may survive a fire.
Store valuable property and assets in flame resistant and/or fireproof containers so they may survive a fire.

Local Resource Search

If you have specific needs and are searching for local resources for assistance, please visit our Disaster Services Resource Page.

Additional Resources

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Additional Resources

Visit Legal Aid Disaster Center (LADRC)

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