VIDEO: Most of the fires in the Turtle Mountain Reservation are contained, but fire crews say they are still on high alert as Thursday’s weather conditions could bring more wind and low humidity to the area. Just six miles east of Belcourt is Rolla, one of the other towns that battled extreme grass fires on Sunday. Amid all this, the communities rallied together in support of their people, leaving no one behind.
Rolla resident Josh Munro was heading out of town when he got the phone call about the grass fire burning just a few yards away from his car dealership. Pictures from Sunday showed how close the fire was to the cars on the lot and to nearby homes. “I thought there was no way that thing was going to stop. I mean, it was coming in so fast, and I thought for sure that the flames were just going to engulf the dealership,” said Munro.
Mayor Kevin Juntunen said he received the call around 3 p.m. from city officials that shook the community. “It was heading towards town,” said Juntunen. Power poles went down, and the entire city of Rolla had no electricity for about two hours. “I didn’t know if we were going to have a town today or not with the way the flames were in some places— 20-30 feet high, and the wind was so strong,” said Juntunen.
They said the fire moved fast, but first responders moved faster. Within hours, the community donated meals and made sure everyone was taken care of. “It’s amazing how a little town like this comes together, people are wondering what they could do to help,” said Rolla Public Works Director Cliff Rush. Police officers went door-to-door encouraging residents to evacuate as the fire spread.
