CARPIO, N.D. (AP) - A small northwestern North Dakota town was evacuated Friday as fire crews battled a grass fire threatening the town.
Carpio, with a population of about 150 people, was evacuated as a precaution, Ward County emergency management director Jen Wiechmann said. No buildings in the town had burned as of mid-afternoon, she said.
Three fire departments were at the scene, with the sheriff’s department and police from nearby Berthold and Burlington helping with the evacuation. A shelter was being set up at a school in Berthold.
Wiechmann said it wasn’t clear how many acres the fire covered nor how it started. A burn ban had been in effect and the area was in a red flag warning with wind gusts up to 30 mph in the forecast.
Most of Ward County, along with much of western North Dakota, has been in severe drought this spring.
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