Tree Hitting Power Lines Started Wildfire That Killed 2 in North Dakota

Trees lie on the ground at the site where a fatal wildfire began on Oct. 5 northwest of Ray, North Dakota. Trees hitting power lines started the fire, the State Fire Marshal determined. (Photo courtesy of North Dakota Insurance Department via the North Dakota Monitor)

(Jeff Beach – North Dakota Monitor) – High winds caused tree limbs to fall onto power lines, starting a wildfire in October that killed two men, the North Dakota State Fire Marshal said in a report released Monday.

The Oct. 5-6 fire near Ray was one of several wildfires that broke out during dry, windy and warm conditions in northwest North Dakota.

Edgar Coppersmith, 47, of Tioga, and Johannes Nicolaas Van Eeden, 26, of South Africa, were killed in the fire that broke out at 12243 72nd St. NW, Alamo.

Van Eeden was found in a vehicle at 120th Avenue and 66th Street, northwest of Ray.

Coppersmith was found at a different location with severe injuries and was flown to Colorado, where he died.

The fire was discovered about 3 p.m. Oct. 5 with flames already 3 to 5 feet high when it was reported minutes later.

Firefighters from the Ray Fire Department arrived by 3:15 p.m.

The report said winds exceeding 60 mph caused a tree about 12 feet from a power line to fall onto the line. The live wire then sparked a fire that spread through dry grass, field stubble and trees. Northwest winds pushed the fire southeast toward Ray.

The report said the area had been under severe to moderate drought conditions and a statewide fire emergency was declared Oct. 4, the day before the fire broke out.

A total of 190 fires burned 126,273 acres in North Dakota in October, according to the state Department of Emergency Services.

The state fire marshal has ruled that natural gas flares from oil wells contributed to starting two of the fires, along with the high winds and dry vegetation.

An email from the North Dakota Insurance Department said a report for a fire near Zahl was still being finalized but the cause for that fire was undetermined.

The U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms also are investigating fires.