A South African man who died due to a western North Dakota wildfire over the weekend was planning to return to his wife within weeks in time for the birth of their first child. 26-year-old Nicolaas van Eeden died Saturday due to smoke inhalation after he was driving home to Tioga when the smoke

In parts of northwest North Dakota, remnants of recent wildfires are clear with downed power lines, burnt structures where buildings once stood, and a sea of black across the prairie.

A second person has died as a result of North Dakota wildfires and Williams County has declared a state of emergency as fires continue to burn Edgar Coppersmith, 47, of Tioga, was identified Tuesday as the second fire-related fatality.

Edgar Coppersmith, 47, of Tioga, was identified Tuesday as the second fire-related fatality. He had previously been reported as suffering from a critical injury. Johannes Nicolaas Van Eeden, 26, of South Africa, was identified Saturday as the first fire victim in the Ray area.

As of their last update, the fire has burned about eight acres of the park’s boundary.They say they have crews on the scene.UPDATE (10/10/24 at 12:50 p.m.): The North Dakota Department of Emergency Services released an update on the wildfires Thursday morning.

Crews continue to make progress battling large wildfires in western North Dakota, while resources grow for victims of what state officials have called "historic" wildfires that devastated the region o