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
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, or safety may best be sought in durable brick or concrete buildings that can withstand high levels of water and wind. 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.
- 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 a 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 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.
Loss and Need
Legal documents
A disaster victim may have lost their birth certificate, drivers license or other state ID, social security card, marriage license, name change documents, titles and deeds to property, and other legal documents in the disaster. Loss of these documents may make accessing public benefits and disaster resources more difficult.
Housing
- Housing can be partially or completely destroyed in a disaster. Renters whose housing has become unlivable may need assistance canceling a lease, finding replacement housing, obtaining rental assistance, transferring existing housing assistance to other housing authorities, or even getting timely repairs from their landlord.
- Disaster victims who own their home may need help filing insurance claims, appealing insurance denials or appraisals, applying for public repair assistance, preventing foreclosure, or recovering from a general contractor who isn’t complying with the repair contract.
- Any disaster victim who needs to access new housing because their residence was completely destroyed in a disaster may also face housing discrimination. If you feel you’ve experienced housing discrimination, please contact High Plains Fair Housing Center.
Loved ones
If you’ve lost a loved one in a disaster, there are many legal aspects to handling their estate. The person may or may not have a will or other estate plan. They may have new assets not included in their current estate plan and they may have a business or other interests whose beneficiaries are uncertain.
Valuable property
Many households own valuable property such as cars, recreational vehicles, jewelry, antiques, and family heirlooms. These items can be lost or destroyed in a disaster and that can carry a monetary and emotional loss. Some of these items may be insured or may have liens on them.
Money
There may be public resources available to help with finding a job or replacing income with public benefits. Disaster victims may need help filing for unemployment, appealing wrongful terminations, or handling bank accounts of deceased household members.
Community
Disaster victims may experience job loss, education loss, housing loss, loss of friends, or cancellation of important community programs and resources. Replacing these community resources and social needs is essential to recovering from a disaster.
Legal Services of North Dakota’s Disaster Legal Services Program can assist North Dakota residents with most of their legal needs after a disaster.
- Access to public benefits
- Insurance – through a volunteer attorney
- Bankruptcies
- Document replacement
- Domestic violence
- Family law and custody issues
- Access to housing or housing repair
- The death of a loved one and their estate
- Consumer issues such as disaster relief scams or contractor scams
Additional Resources
Resources by County
Get help after a disaster.
Disaster Kit
Grab a disaster kit to be prepared.
Become a Volunteer
Opportunities and training available.
Additional Resources
Visit Legal Aid Disaster Center (LADRC)