Shifting winds and dry vegetation made a fire in the Apple Creek Game Management area difficult to contain Thursday afternoon.

The fire burned through up to 1,000 acres, said Dan Burgard, assistant chief for the Bismarck Rural Fire Department.

Rural Fire and Game and Fish personnel battled the fire for more than two hours before containing it, said Mary Senger with Burleigh County Emergency Management. The fire was considered contained at 3:15 p.m.; it was reported at 1:10 p.m.

Burgard said they did not know what caused the fire, but added that it was difficult to control at times.

"There's a lot of vegetation down here, and it's so dry,"Burgard said, also noting that the wind continued to shift. "As soon as we get a game plan one direction, (the wind) switches."

Burgard said they had 11 trucks on site, and four Game and Fish trucks responded. The Highway Patrol and the Burliegh County Sheriff's Department helped with traffic control.

The Burleigh County Roads Department also used equipment to move dirt and create firebreaks.

Burgard and Senger said fire workers were expected to work through the night; the Red Cross was expected to help with food and water.