North Dakota town evacuates as grass fire threatens

CARPIO, N.D. – A small northwestern North Dakota town was evacuated Friday as fire crews battled a grass fire threatening the town. Carpio, a town of about 150 people, was evacuated as a precaution.

Ward County emergency manager Jen Wiechmann said no buildings in the town had burned as of mid-afternoon.

Three fire departments were at the scene, with the sheriff’s department and police from nearby Berthold and Burlington helping with the evacuation.

A shelter was being set up at a school in Berthold. Wiechmann said it wasn’t clear how many acres the fire covered nor how it started.