Sterling Rural Fire Department

06/01/2026

A big thank you to Dinges Fire Company for helping us with the purchase of new battery powered Amkus spreader, cutter, and ram! These tools will make our response incredibly more efficient to extrications as well as enhancing our forcible entry capabilities. We already had the opportunity to use these the other day! If you would like to see these in action, let us know and we’d be happy to show them off.

05/25/2026

IF YOU ARE CONDUCTING A CONTROLLED BURN…please remember, just because we’re in a low or medium fire index doesn’t mean that your fire won’t spread. Light carefully, monitor closely, and extinguish completely! 🔥💧

We are absolutely in support of citizens doing fuel mitigation, but please please please make sure you’re doing it safely! We’d love to come over to your place for a visit, but if it’s all the same to you we’d rather not have to chase down a fire first 🙂

Picture is from a recent fire caused by lightening, we haven’t figured out how to convince the lightening to check the fire index first yet. If any of our followers is related to Nikolai Tesla, please let us know as we think he may have written down the solution somewhere in his miscellaneous papers. ⚡️🌩️🔋💡

05/14/2026

1458 update: we have a knockdown on the fire. Mop up will continue. Approximately 20-25 acres burned.

1350 INCIDENT ALERT: Sterling Fire is responding to another report of a grass fire west of 275th north of McKenzie. Please avoid the area until responders clear.

05/14/2026

0900 update, fire is out.

0730 update, crews are in mop up, fire controlled.

INCIDENT ALERT: Sterling Rural Fire Department is currently responding to a grass fire north of McKenzie off 223rd. Please avoid the area until incident is concluded.

05/12/2026

04/28/2026

INCIDENT ALERT 4-28-26 1028 Sterling Rural Fire Department is currently responding to report of a grass fire two miles south of Sterling on Highway 83. Please avoid the area if possible until incident is complete. Thank you.

Update 1115 Incident clear.

04/28/2026

Highway 14 is closed to through traffic between Wing and Sterling. The ND Highway Patrol and Burleigh County Sheriff Dept will be placing signs for detours.

Please avoid the area as cleanup continues throughout the morning.

04/10/2026

INCIDENT REPORT: 4/10/26 0130 Sterling Fire Department dispatched to industrial plant for reported fire alarm. 7 personnel responded. First arriving reported smoke showing from a large building. After investigation flames and medium amount of smoke were seen; it was found that the plant’s wood boiler had back-burned into the fill augers and was threatening a large hopper on the exterior. An 1.5” line was deployed to extinguish the fire in the auger system. Approximately 200 gallons flowed. No injuries to civilians or personnel. The incident is now over as of 0310. Four rigs deployed to this incident.

04/07/2026

Burleigh County has instituted burn restrictions effective immediately until rescinded or through October 31, 2026.
https://www.burleigh.gov/fire

The burn restrictions remain in effect when the North Dakota Rangeland Fire Danger Rating is in the High, Very High or Extreme Rating and/or Red Flag Warning has been issued.

The City of Bismarck has permanent burn restrictions in place through an adopted fire code.

THE PENALTY FOR VIOLATION OF THIS BURN BAN IS A CLASS B MISDEMEANOR (NDCC 37-17.1-10.1: MAXIMUM SENTENCE OF 30 DAYS IN JAIL AND $1,500 FINE).

The Rangeland Fire Rating can be found on the ND Department of Emergency Services’ website: https://ndresponse.gov