Twenty-seven residents were displaced as wind-fueled wildfire ravaged through a small town southwest of North Dakota on Wednesday, October 17.

Adam County State Attorney Aaron Roseland described the tiny town of Bucyrus after the fire to be “pretty much completely lost.” The Dickinson Press quoting Scranton Fire Chief Ryan Schumacher who responded to the Bucyrus fire reported that the “The town is basically gone.”

County officials disclosed that four houses in the town were burnt to ashes. Luckily for the town’s church, the fire did not get hold of it as firefighters were able to stopped the flames before it reach the town’s house of worship.

Aside from the residential homes, the Bucyrus fire also razed an unoccupied farmstead and around 70 electrical utility posts, cutting power to the town, said Chuck Christman, chairman of the County Commission.

The Bucyrus wind-fueled wildfire was reported to have started that afternoon and grew to around 10-miles long in no time. The fire was propelled by winds travelling at more than 60 mph, the authorities said. Firefighters from different stations in North and South Dakota joined forces together to combat the said wildfire. The flames were reported to have already been controlled later that night.
As for the Bucyrus residents who were displaced in the fire, a shelter was put up in the nearby town of Hettinger. The latter’s townspeople opened up their town to accommodate their neighbors.

The said fire also affected traffic at the U.S. Highway 12. Department of Transportation in a statement said that a portion of the said highway was closed temporarily on Wednesday night until early Thursday.

Having a dry summer will make homes in rural areas more vulnerable to wildfires. To protect your home investments in events like these, having sufficient homeowners insurance coverage will be of great help dealing with the aftermath. As to provide your vehicles protection against wildfires, an auto insurance policy shall have a comprehensive coverage.