It wasn’t the most contentious meeting the Oval Office has ever seen. Nor was it the warmest.
Day: May 6, 2025
MPs and Merz ahead of second vote in German parliament
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Euronews takes a look through the top 10 photos of the day, during which CDU leader Friedrich Merz both lost and then won enough votes to be elected as German chancellor.
It has been a roller-coaster of a day. Dramatic scenes from the Bundestag after Christian Democratic (CDU) leader Friedrich Merz failed to win enough votes to be elected chancellor.
This was the first time in post-world war history that such an event has happened.
He managed it by the second vote, but we take a look through the top 10 photos of the day:
- Friedrich Merz casts his ballot for the first chancellor vote on Tuesday morning.
- Friedrich Merz reacts after he loses the vote
- Colleagues gather round following the news that Merz did not manage to win the vote
- German lawmakers prepare to vote a second time on Tuesday to elect Merz as chancellor
- Friedrich Merz casting his ballot for the second vote
- MPs applauding after Merz secures enough votes in the second round of voting
- Relief after the vote count is read out in the Bundestag
- Former German Chancellor Olaf Scholz congratulating Friedrich Merz after he wins enough votes to be elected chancellor
- MPs queue to congratulate Merz on being elected chancellor
- Merz arrives at Bellevue Palace to be sworn in by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Tuesday evening.
I’m waddling here! I’m waddling here!
A family of Canada geese were escorted by police across the Holland Tunnel — but a few honking-mad drivers weren’t taken in by the adorable caught-on-video scene.
The video showed a Mama and Papa goose followed by their six fluff balls crossing the roadway on the Jersey side of the tunnel Sunday as kindly Port Authority officers stopped traffic in its tracks.
Officer Rey Lainez planted himself in the middle of the traffic lanes and pointed the feathery family in the right direction — even using some traffic control signals that the geese seemingly interrupted easily.
“They followed my orders,” Lainez told The Post in a statement, noting that such animal detours aren’t entirely uncommon during this season.
The entire hold-up took just five minutes and there was still plenty of honking — just not from the geese.
“Come on!” one annoyed driver can be heard screaming in the video.
Others found the incident amusing, with the video filmer saying it was “the funniest thing I’ve ever seen.”
“If there’s a reason to be delayed, that’s it!” another person said.
The birds safely crossed back onto the street and went on their way, but where they went afterwards is a mystery.
The family had wandered from their usual spot near 14th Street and Washington Boulevard and Barnum Street’s construction holding lot across the street from Newport Green Park — where a sizable goose population lives.
Every spring, locals keep their eyes peeled for the wandering goslings, which move with their parents almost immediately after hatching.
Families of geese can travel up to 2 miles from their nesting areas to brood-rearing areas — which often involves suddenly appearing at ponds bordered by lawns, according to the Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management.
Goslings can’t fly for the first two months so families are forced to waddle — even if it means braving the Holland Tunnel.
“The moment was a reminder of how small acts of care can make a big difference — even in high-traffic environments,” the Port Authority said.
Germany’s surging far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party, whose official designation as extremist has been rebuked by the White House, called for a snap election following a surprise parliamentary defeat for the country’s conservative leader.
AfD’s co-leader Alice Weidel said her party is “ready for the responsibility of government” after Friedrich Merz initially fell six votes short of being named chancellor—Germany’s leader—in a first round of voting on Tuesday. He was later elected chancellor.
AfD has been making big gains recently, particularly in former East Germany. It finished second in federal elections in February, giving it 151 out of 630 Bundestag seats, and last month topped a major national poll for the first time.
Yet Germany’s main parties have traditionally refused to work with the party, something the AfD and senior members of U.S. President Donald Trump‘s administration have railed against.
It was designated a right-wing extremist group by German intelligence officials last week, ahead of the 80th anniversary of the Nazis’ defeat in World War II. That moves gives authorities more powers to monitor the AfD, including via phone tapping and spies.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called it “tyranny in disguise, while Vice President JD Vance accused “the German establishment” of effectively rebuilding the Berlin Wall.
Why It Matters
Merz’s embarrassing first-round defeat is unprecedented in modern German history. It also casts serious doubts on his ability to lead a united government, following the collapse of the previous administration late last year and suggests Germany’s traditional main parties are struggling to hold a united front to keep out an increasingly popular AfD.
JOHN MACDOUGALL/Getty Images
What To Know
After the collapse of Germany’s previous government, led by Olaf Scholz, Merz had emerged as the likely chancellor following the election on February 23.
But at 52 percent, Scholz’s coalition government, which includes his conservative bloc and the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), holds one of the country’s slimmest parliamentary majorities since World War II.
While his coalition appeared to have enough votes, it seems that 18 members of parliament (MPs) expected to back him dissented in the secret ballot.
Merz, chairman of the center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU), needed 316 out of 630 votes in a secret ballot in Germany’s lower house of parliament, but only got 310 votes on Tuesday.
Bundestag President Julia Klöckner told MPs that nine of the 630 MPs were absent, three abstained and another ballot paper was declared invalid.
It is the first time in Germany’s postwar history that a presumed chancellor has failed to be elected following successful coalition negotiations.
But Weidel called for Merz to resign and for a new election.
Elon Musk, key adviser to Trump, reshared on his X, formerly Twitter, platform a video post of Weidel reacting to the initial defeat for Merz.
Weidel said after the AfD’s election success in February that Musk had called her and “congratulated me personally” on receiving 20.8 percent of the vote.
Germany’s domestic intelligence agency, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, designating AfD an “extremist” organization on Friday.
“The ethnicity- and ancestry-based understanding of the people prevailing within the party is incompatible with the free democratic order,” the agency said at the time.
AfD launched a lawsuit against the decision on Monday. “With our lawsuit, we are sending a clear signal against the abuse of state power to combat and exclude the opposition,” Weidel and co-party leader Tino Chrupalla said, calling it a bid to “distort democratic competition and delegitimise millions of votes.”
RALF HIRSCHBERGER
The designation was denounced by Vance, who said the AfD was “by far the most representative” party in the formerly communist eastern Germany.
In April, the AfD topped a major poll for the first time, showing growing unhappiness in Germany at mainstream parties. The Ipsos survey put the AfD at 25 percent, ahead of the 24 percent support for Merz’s conservative CDU/CSU bloc.
Markus Böckenförde, professor of constitutional and public law at Central European University in Budapest, told Newsweek that Merz’s failure to secure the votes necessary delivered a “shock wave” to German politics.
Given the secrecy of the ballot, he said, there will be speculation about why Merz did not get the support he was expecting. It comes amid a sensitive debate on how to get policies through without the support of the AfD, Böckenförde said.
He described it as a “yellow card” for Merz, who has been given the message not to follow the kind of path he had taken in preparation of this coalition government.
What People Are Saying
Weidel, on Tuesday: “Merz should step aside and the way should be cleared for a general election….we are ready to take on responsibility in government.”
AfD representative Bernd Baumann, in a speech shortly before the second vote: “This government starts out in extreme instability,” adding, “And it will remain unstable. That is the opposite of what Germany needs.”
Rubio on Friday posted to X after the AfD was designated “extremist”: “Germany just gave its spy agency new powers to surveil the opposition. That’s not democracy — it’s tyranny in disguise.”
What Happens Next
Germany’s next federal elections for the Bundestag parliament are scheduled to take place before March 26, 2029, so long as the new coalition does not collapse before then.
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Anna Skinner is a Newsweek senior reporter based in Indianapolis. Her focus is reporting on the climate, environment and weather but she also reports on other topics for the National News Team. She has covered climate change and natural disasters extensively. Anna joined Newsweek in 2022 from Current Publishing, a local weekly central Indiana newspaper where she worked as a managing editor. She was a 2021 finalist for the Indy’s Best & Brightest award in the media, entertainment and sports category. You can get in touch with Anna by emailing a.skinner@newsweek.com. Languages: English.
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Numerous weather alerts from the National Weather Service (NWS) have been issued across the Northeast, including New York, as a severe storm system moves through the region.
Why It Matters
The storms follow severe weather earlier this week that impacted multiple states from Ohio to Maryland. The storm path has shifted, with New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey bearing the brunt of impacts. In some instances, people were warned to take shelter amid strong winds and damaging hail.
What to Know
As of Tuesday afternoon, the NWS alerts in place for New York include a flash flood warning, severe thunderstorm watch, flood watch, and a special weather statement warning of damaging winds, hail, and isolated downpours.
HaraldEWeiss/Getty
Further south, tornado warnings were in place in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
NWS meteorologist Kaitlyn Lardeo, who works at the Binghamton office, told Newsweek the biggest concerns with the current storms are hail, damaging winds and possible tornadoes.
Weather Radar
The severity of the storms is reflected in animated weather footage from windy.com. The weather radar indicates severe thunderstorms from Syracuse south through Binghamton. There are also some severe storms further north, near Utica.
Rain
Light rain was detected across New York, although the strongest rainstorms appeared to be in Connecticut.
Several locations across the region are expecting accumulating rainfall over the next three days, with some of the strongest amounts falling in central New York.
Wind
Wind gusts appeared strongest in eastern New York, near Albany. Animated weather footage from windy.com indicated winds in this area were gusting near 35 mph.
Elsewhere in the nation, severe storms are also impacting Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana. Heavy rain was moving further east to impact Mississippi, southwestern Alabama, and the far western part of the Florida panhandle.
What People Are Saying
NWS Binghamton in a severe thunderstorm warning: “Remain alert for a possible tornado! Tornadoes can develop quickly from severe thunderstorms. If you spot a tornado go at once into the basement or small central room in a sturdy structure. For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a building.”
NWS in a Tuesday forecast: “Across the eastern U.S., another upper-level low and surface low is funneling high precipitable water and moisture transport along the mid-Atlantic and Northeast. Additionally, cooler temperatures aloft associated with the upper-low will continue to provide severe weather potential through this evening for the main hazards of hail and strong winds. Fortunately, another trough will begin to dip southeast towards the east Coast and begin to slowly push the storm system out of the region.”
What Happens Next
The severe thunderstorm warning will expire by 5:15 p.m. ET this evening. Lardeo told Newsweek the storms should move out of the region by 10 p.m. Severe storms aren’t likely the rest of the week, although some weaker storms and some rain are possible.
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About the writer
Anna Skinner is a Newsweek senior reporter based in Indianapolis. Her focus is reporting on the climate, environment and weather but she also reports on other topics for the National News Team. She has covered climate change and natural disasters extensively. Anna joined Newsweek in 2022 from Current Publishing, a local weekly central Indiana newspaper where she worked as a managing editor. She was a 2021 finalist for the Indy’s Best & Brightest award in the media, entertainment and sports category. You can get in touch with Anna by emailing a.skinner@newsweek.com. Languages: English.
Anna Skinner is a Newsweek senior reporter based in Indianapolis. Her focus is reporting on the climate, environment and weather …
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US president Donald Trump and Canadian prime minister Mark Carney faced off in the Oval Office and showed no signs of retreating from their gaping differences in an ongoing trade war that has shattered decades of trust between the two countries.
The two kept it civil, but as for Mr Trump’s calls to make Canada the 51st state, Mr Carney insisted his nation was “not for sale” and Mr Trump shot back: “Time will tell.”
Asked by a reporter if there was anything Mr Carney could tell him to lift his tariffs of as much as 25% on Canada, Mr Trump bluntly said: “No.”
The US president added for emphasis “just the way it is”.
Mr Carney acknowledged that no bit of rhetoric on tariffs would be enough to sway Mr Trump, saying that “this is a bigger discussion”.
“There are much bigger forces involved,” the Canadian leader continued.
“And this will take some time and some discussions. And that’s why we’re here, to have those discussions.”
The meeting between the two leaders showcased the full spectrum of Mr Trump’s unique mix of aggression, hospitality and stubbornness.
Shortly before Mr Carney’s arrival, Mr Trump insulted Canada by posting on social media that the United States did not need “ANYTHING” from its northern neighbour, only to then turn on the charm and praise Mr Carney’s election win in person before showing his obstinance on matters of policy substance.
Mr Carney won the job of prime minister by promising to confront the increased aggression shown by Mr Trump, even as he has preserved the calm demeanour of an economist who has led the central banks of both Canada and the United Kingdom.
At times, Mr Carney struggled to interject his views and raised his hand to talk as Mr Trump held forth at length and veered between topics, touching on California Democratic governor Gavin Newsom, Mr Carney’s predecessor, Justin Trudeau, and teasing a “great” upcoming announcement that is “not necessarily on trade”.
Mr Trump offended Canada’s sense of pride and friendship by saying he wants to make Canada the 51st US state and levying steep tariffs against an essential partner in the manufacturing of cars and the supply of oil, electricity and other goods.
The outrage provoked by Mr Trump enabled Mr Carney’s Liberal Party to score a stunning comeback victory last month as the trade war and attacks on Canadian sovereignty have outraged voters.
Mr Trump said the two would not discuss making Canada part of the US, even as he insisted the idea would lead to lower taxes for Canadians.
“It’s not for sale,” Mr Carney said. “It won’t be for sale. Ever. But the opportunity is in the partnership and what we can build together.”
Mr Trump persisted by saying that the United States did not want to buy cars from Canada, even if the vehicles were also assembled in America.
The US leader insisted that the 63 billion dollars trade deficit in goods — which he inflated to 200 billion dollars — was a subsidy that needed to come an end.
Mr Carney later described his conversation with Mr Trump as “wide ranging” and “constructive,” telling reporters that the prospect is there for positive negotiations but there would be “zigs and zags.”
Mr Carney said he stressed the value that Canadian companies and factories created for US automakers while stressing that it was unfair to assume one meeting could resolve any differences.
“I wouldn’t have expected white smoke coming out of this meeting,” Mr Carney said after the Tuesday meeting, referencing the signal that a new pope has been selected.
Mr Carney said that he privately asked Mr Trump to stop calling Canada the 51st state during their meeting. But when pressed on how Mr Trump responded, the Canadian prime minister said: “He’s the president. He’s his own person.”
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Jenna Sundel is a Newsweek reporter based in New Jersey. Her focus is reporting on breaking news. She has in-depth knowledge of crime and courts. Jenna joined Newsweek in 2024. She previously worked at The Messenger. She is a graduate of Montclair State University. You can find her on X @jennajournalist. You can get in touch with Jenna by emailing j.sundel@newsweek.com. Languages: English.
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Colt Gray appeared noticeably different as he attended a court hearing virtually on Tuesday, where attorneys discussed the possibility of a plea deal in the case.
Gray had long blond hair in his mugshot and at a court appearance in September of last year. At Tuesday’s hearing, he had short brown hair and glasses.
AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, Pool, File
Defense attorney Alfonso D. Kraft told Barrow County Superior Court Judge Nick Primm that Gray could be ready for a plea hearing in October.
The Context
Teachers Richard “Ricky” Aspinwall and Cristina Irimie and students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo were killed in a shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, on September 4, 2024. Another teacher and eight more students were injured.
Gray, who was 14 at the time, was indicted on a total of 55 counts in connection with the mass shooting, including murder in the deaths of four people and 25 counts of aggravated assault. He previously pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Barrow County Sheriff’s Office via AP
What To Know
Kraft said Gray will be meeting with a psychologist soon, and he will likely be ready for a plea hearing after the psychologist finishes their report.
“We should be good to go,” Kraft said.
Prosecutors indicated that it will be a non-negotiated plea, which means they would not recommend a lower sentence.
“In a mass shooting like this, prosecutors aren’t going to give any type of discount or reduction,” Neama Rahmani, former federal prosecutor and president of West Coast Trial Lawyers, told Newsweek. “This is going to be a life case, and he’s not eligible for the death penalty because of his age.”
Rahmani said that if the case were to go to trial, it would be difficult for Gray’s legal team to formulate a defense.
“There’s so much evidence that implicates him,” Rahmani said. “What possible defense is there going to be?”
Investigators have said that Gray carried a semiautomatic assault-style rifle wrapped in poster board onto the school bus on the day of the shooting. They said Gray left his second-period class and emerged from a bathroom with the rifle before opening fire.
A Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent testified that the boy left a notebook in his classroom with step-by-step instructions and a diagram made in preparation for the attack.
Colin Gray, Colt’s father, has also been charged in connection with the shooting. He was indicted on 29 counts, including two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of involuntary manslaughter. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
What People Are Saying
Rahmani, in an interview with Newsweek: “Whether Colt Gray pleas pursuant to a plea agreement, whether he pleads without a plea agreement, whether he’s convicted at trial, whether his father accepts responsibility and takes the manslaughter, I think the result is going to be the same. Colt’s going to go to prison for the rest of his life.”
Kevin Zink, Aspinwall’s father-in-law, in comments to the Associated Press after the hearing: “If he wants to plead guilty it would be a better route for everybody, get it behind us. I’d like to see it end. The sooner it ends, the better for all of us.”
What Happens Next
Colt’s plea hearing is expected to take place in October. Colin is expected to go to trial in September.
“In order to avoid any publicity tainting that trial, it makes sense to do the plea after,” Primm said at the hearing.
Do you have a story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have any questions about this story? Contact LiveNews@newsweek.com.
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About the writer
Jenna Sundel is a Newsweek reporter based in New Jersey. Her focus is reporting on breaking news. She has in-depth knowledge of crime and courts. Jenna joined Newsweek in 2024. She previously worked at The Messenger. She is a graduate of Montclair State University. You can find her on X @jennajournalist. You can get in touch with Jenna by emailing j.sundel@newsweek.com. Languages: English.
Jenna Sundel is a Newsweek reporter based in New Jersey. Her focus is reporting on breaking news. She has in-depth …
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The Los Angeles Angels must be tired of receiving bad news about their franchise slugger.
Since signing a 12-year, $426 million extension before the 2019 campaign, Mike Trout has hit the injured list in five different seasons. His latest stint comes after he suffered a bone bruise in a surgically repaired left knee during a recent game against the Seattle Mariners.
“Talking to the doctors, I’ve had two meniscuses shaved down, and I just hit it perfectly on the bag,” Trout said, per ESPN. “Both bones hit each other, and I bruised both of them.”
Speaking with reporters after the injury, Trout was optimistic he’d be able to return after a 10-day stint. He suggested the ailment was the result of an unlikely play, dismissing concerns that the years of wear and tear on his body were presenting a chronic problem.
Chambers/Getty Images
But the Angels might have a reason for more concern, with ESPN injury analyst Stephania Bell taking issue with that framing.
“Trout’s comment that there is nothing ‘structurally’ wrong with his knee, while understandable coming from him given that there is no major visible tissue failure, is debatable,” Bell wrote. “Knowing Trout had two injuries to the same knee in 2024 raises the suspicion of a knee that is now more predisposed to early degenerative changes.”
In her update, Bell noted that even moving Trout to an exclusive designated hitter role wouldn’t be enough to escape the risk of another injury. And she cast doubt on the initial timeline for recovery.
“Trout’s optimism aside, it may take longer than just 10 days for both the symptoms to resolve and for him to resume fully unrestricted baseball activity,” she added.
As Trout has struggled to stay on the field, baseball fans have lost out on one of the most talented players in the history of the game. Hopefully, despite Bell’s concern, he can find a way to stay healthy and productive even after this latest setback.
More MLB: Former MLB Executive Urges Royals To Reunite With Franchise Record Holder
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Joshua Rhett Miller is a Newsweek chief investigative reporter based in New York. His areas of focus include U.S. politics, immigration and society, as well as crime, education and technology. In 2024, Joshua joined Newsweek following roles at the New York Post, FoxNews.com and Fox News Channel, where he worked as an associate producer for “Shepard Smith Reporting.” He also has extensive experience covering national and international breaking news, including terror attacks, COVID-related topics and live reports from the United States-Mexico border. The graduate of Pennsylvania State University can be reached at j.miller@newsweek.com.
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Smokey Robinson and his wife have been accused of a wide array of misconduct, including sexual battery, assault, false imprisonment and creating a hostile work environment.
Four women who previously worked for the legendary Motown singer filed a civil complaint Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleging the 85-year-old musician forcefully touched them without consent, according to court documents seen by Newsweek.
The women, who were employed as housekeepers at Robinson’s home in Chatsworth, California, were allegedly victimized during incidents spanning between 2007 and April 2024. They filed the lawsuit using pseudonyms to “protect their privacy because it involves sexual misconduct” by Robinson, court documents show.
Robinson’s 85-year-old wife, Frances Robinson, is also named in the suit, which seeks $50 million in damages.
Michael Tullberg/Getty Images
“Plaintiffs explicitly told defendant Robinson on numerous occasions that they were not interested in his advances and objected to his forceful, physical, sexual, and harmful conduct,” the complaint reads.
The women claim Robinson regularly touched their “entire bodies,” including their vaginas and breasts, without their consent. Robinson’s wife also did nothing to stop the alleged sexual misconduct despite having “full knowledge” of his actions, according to the lawsuit.
One woman, identified as Jane Doe 1 in the 27-page lawsuit, claims she was first sexually assaulted in March 2023, continuing until her forced resignation in February 2024. On a typical Saturday, Robinson would take his wife to a nail salon and then rush home, knowing he’d be alone with the woman, the lawsuit alleges.
“Upon returning home, defendant Smokey Robinson would call her into his blue bedroom, lock the door and escort their dog Shilo out of the room,” the filing reads. “He will have showered and clothed only in his underwear. He would then neatly place a white towel on his bed, not to soil the bed linens, in preparation for what was about to occur.”
Robinson would then start to kiss the woman on her mouth, neck and breasts before penetrating her vagina digitally, orally copulate her and “penetrate her vagina with his erect penis causing her great pain,” the lawsuit continues. “Defendant Smokey Robinson enjoyed ejaculating in her vagina without using a condom.”
The woman said she would protest and resist Robinson’s sexual assaults, reminding him he was married. She claims Robinson sexually assaulted her in that manner at least seven times, most recently in February 2024, according to the filing.
‘Hostile Work Environment’
Frances Robinson also “perpetuated a hostile work environment” by consistently screaming at the women and using “ethnically pejorative words and language,” the filing claims.
The four women alleged Robinson and his wife also didn’t pay them minimum wage or overtime if their shifts extended beyond eight hours. One former housekeeper identified as Jane Doe 4 said she regularly traveled with the couple and did not get paid.
The victims didn’t previously report Robinson due to fears of losing their livelihoods or other concerns, including public embarrassment, possible impact on immigration status or the potential of being threatened or intimidated by Robinson’s “celebrity status and his influential friends and associates,” the complaint states.
Attorneys from Harris & Hayden Law Firm were expected to hold a press conference Tuesday afternoon in Los Angeles, according to KTTV.
Representatives for Robinson have not yet responded to the accusations, according to KTLA.
Robinson, who rose to fame as part of The Miracles, released his latest album, “What the World Needs Now,” on April 25.
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About the writer
Joshua Rhett Miller is a Newsweek chief investigative reporter based in New York. His areas of focus include U.S. politics, immigration and society, as well as crime, education and technology. In 2024, Joshua joined Newsweek following roles at the New York Post, FoxNews.com and Fox News Channel, where he worked as an associate producer for “Shepard Smith Reporting.” He also has extensive experience covering national and international breaking news, including terror attacks, COVID-related topics and live reports from the United States-Mexico border. The graduate of Pennsylvania State University can be reached at j.miller@newsweek.com.
Joshua Rhett Miller is a Newsweek chief investigative reporter based in New York. His areas of focus include U.S. politics, …
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BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Crews have been fighting at least 16 wildfires throughout North Dakota in the last several days, including several large fires still burning Tuesday across wooded areas and grasslands on the Turtle Mountain Reservation near the Canadian border.
Dry and breezy conditions before the spring green-up haven’t helped the situation. Much of the state is in some level of drought, including a swath of western North Dakota in severe or extreme drought, according to a recent map by the U.S. Drought Monitor.
Numerous agencies including the North Dakota Forest Service and fire departments have responded to the fires. National Guard Black Hawk helicopters have dropped water, saving homes. Officials requested fire engines from as far as Montana and South Dakota. Tribal members with buckets and hoses sprang into action to fight the flames.
“It’s inspiring that our people can rise up and help each other out like that,” Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Tribal Chair Jamie Azure said Tuesday.
Three distinct fires that have been joining and separating have burned about 4,200 acres (1,700 hectares) in the Turtle Mountain area, according to the state Department of Emergency Services.
Most of the fires have been north of Belcourt, in the northern part of the Turtle Mountain Reservation, said Jenna Parisien, recruitment and retention coordinator and spokesperson for the Belcourt Rural Fire Department.
“We have several locations where areas have burned, so places were lit up all at once, and with the unfavorable weather conditions that we have had, areas keep relighting, embers are causing spread to surrounding areas as well,” Parisien said.
The fires steadily kicked off on Friday, she said. It wasn’t clear how much of the fires were contained.
Three firefighters were treated for exhaustion, dehydration and smoke inhalation, but were doing well, Azure said. One vacant mobile home was believed to be lost, but there were no other injuries or homes lost despite fires in people’s yards, he said.
About 10 families evacuated from their homes, he said.
Crews were battling high winds with the fires on Monday, but rain overnight, moderate winds and firefighters’ great efforts have improved the situation, Azure said Tuesday.
Seventy-five to 100 firefighters responded on Sunday, the busiest day, Parisien said. Local businesses and tribal members have helped, Azure said.
Causes of the fires are thought to be accidental, potentially sparks escaping from residents’ trash-burning barrels, Parisien said.
But some people have been taken into custody in connection with intentionally starting a fire, she said. She declined to elaborate. The Associated Press emailed the Bureau of Indian Affairs for comment.
Nearly all of the 16 fires around the state are 100% contained. A fire in Rolla on Sunday led to evacuations.
Fires on the Fort Berthold Reservation burned at least 2,000 acres (810 hectares). An 1,800-acre (728 hectares) fire on the reservation is 40% contained. No structures are believed lost to it, state Department of Emergency Services spokesperson Alison Vetter said.