Williston firefighters return from the Bear Den fire

WILLISTON, N.D. (KUMV) – Williston firefighters have been busy battling fires locally and beyond. A crew returned Wednesday afternoon after being deployed to the Bear Den fire.

Four firefighters drove a brush truck to Mandaree on Oct. 9 and responded to a state call for assistance.

Battalion Chief Jason Lewis said the first week of operations was busy due to dry conditions, but things slowed down after a cold front.

“We’ve been able to address some of these trouble spots. “There were hundreds of hotspots out there,” Lewis said.

Lewis said they worked from sunrise to sunset, limited only by the lack of light at night. The teams lived in the Mandaree School gymnasium. Lewis said the locals were very helpful and friendly.

“They provided us with cots, bedding and everything. “Three Affiliated Tribes’ resources were out of this world,” Lewis said.

Lewis was also recently deployed to California to combat line fire. He said the department was happy to provide assistance whenever it could.

“The support of our employees and community to enable us to do this to help others is unparalleled,” Lewis said.

The Bear Den fire was fully contained as of Sunday. It is estimated that more than 13,500 hectares of land and one uninhabited house burned.

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