The playground at the Cannon Ball Elementary School in North Dakota was destroyed by fire. Photo by KX News / Twitter
The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe brought a fire under control on Monday, The Bismarck Tribune reports. The fire burned about 3,000 acres in Wakpala, on the South Dakota portion of the reservation. No injuries were reported and no structures were destroyed, the paper said. The community of Cannon Ball, on the North Dakota side, wasn't as lucky. Two fires combined and burned more than 5,000 acres, destroying three homes, one church, a building at a second church and the playground at the elementary school in the process. “Without their hard work, we probably wouldn’t have a school right now,” Superintendent Justin Fryer told the Tribune, referring to the fire fighters who protected the Cannon Ball Elementary School itself from damage. Classes at the elementary remain canceled today while staff assesses and cleans up the damage. A fundraiser on GoFundMe seeks donations for new playground equipment. President Barack Obama visited the community in June 2014. Get the Story:
Fire burns 3,000 acres on southern Standing Rock (The Bismarck Tribune 10/13)
Fire ruins Cannon Ball school playground (The Bismarck Tribune 10/13)
Casino houses fire evacuees, plus firefighters (The Bismarck Tribune 10/13)
Tribal official: South Dakota wildfire partially contained (AP 10/12)
Related Stories
Standing Rock Sioux Tribe evacuates community
amid two fires (10/12)
Join the Conversation
