A South African man who died due to a North Dakota wildfire over the weekend was planning to return to his wife within weeks in time for the birth of their first child. Nicolaas van Eeden, 26, died Saturday due to smoke inhalation after he was driving home to Tioga when the smoke became too much,

Firefighters have a greater handle on two large wildfires burning in western North Dakota, some of several fires that took off in the high winds and dry conditions over the weekend, killing one man and evacuating hundreds of people from their homes.

A second person has died as a result of North Dakota wildfires and Williams County has declared a state of emergency as fires continue to burn Edgar Coppersmith, 47, of Tioga, was identified Tuesday as the second fire-related fatality.