08/28/2026
*New Salem Fire Department Responds to Fire Near New Salem*
On Wednesday, August 26th, we were paged at 12:07 pm CDT for a grass fire approximately 7 miles north-northeast of New Salem. Attack 1/Unit 9050 and Tanker 1 were both enroute with crews within a few minutes. While those units were enroute, firefighters observed black smoke from a distance that was consistent with a structure fire, and called for an additional page. Initial-arriving crews found a grass fire in a farmyard, a barn that was engulfed in flames, with the grass fire spreading southward away from the area. Brush 1 arrived shortly thereafter and together the units ensured the fire was kept away from the unoccupied farmhouse in the yard, and to stop the spread of the grass fire. Two additional fire units arrived shortly thereafter (Tanker 2 and Attack 2) and crews worked to stop the grass fire, prevent additional spread of the fire in the farmyard, and to fully extinguish the barn and one other outbuilding that were burned in the fire. The grass fire burned into a slough area and had large flame lengths consistent with how dry it's been. The grass fire burned about 15 acres. A barn and one other outbuilding were lost in the fire. Crews remained on scene until around 330 pm CDT ensuring the fire was fully extinguished. The department responded with 10 firefighters and five units. Cause of the fire was determined to be a bird in a transformer.
The department is grateful to the many farmers and ranchers in the area that helped with this fire, including by providing additional water and resources. We are also thankful for assistance from the New Salem Ambulance Service and Morton County Sheriff's Office on the scene.
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