CNN: “North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum declared a statewide emergency Thursday as wildfires led to the evacuation of one small town in the state. The declaration will allow the National Guard to deploy two UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters to help fight the fires, the statement said. The governor has put the state’s National Guard on standby for wildfire response and the town of Medora in Billings County has been evacuated. Medora is about 25 miles east of the Montana border and has a population of around 130 people.”
“The US Forest Service-Dakota Prairie Grasslands warned people to avoid the area southwest of Medora to give emergency responders easy access to the fire, according to a Facebook post. It also asked people to “drive cautiously” because smoke from the fire is reducing visibility in the area. ‘North Dakota must be prepared to respond to wildland fires during periods of ongoing dry conditions and drought patterns,’ Burgum said in a statement. ‘At this time, North Dakota has an elevated spring and summer fire potential; a significant number of fires have occurred to date.'”