Piles Burning to occur in Custer State Park

Custer, SD; December 16, 2016 – Custer State Park personnel will begin burning piles starting Friday, December 16  to help reduce hazardous fuel throughout the park.

Starting today and continuing throughout the winter, Custer State Park staff will be burning piles as long as conditions allow. This weekend pile burning will occur in the northwest area of the park to the north and west of Mount Coolidge, along American Center Road, and along Needles Highway.

Custer State Park will be working to burn both machine slash piles and hand piles. The piles are created from the left-over non-merchantable material generated by timber sales and from small tree thinning projects designed to reduce fuel loading and fire risk.

“By removing these piles we reduce fuel build up which can in turn can assist with reducing larger fire hazards in the park.” states Rochelle Plocek, fire forester.

Smoke will be visible and may impact local communities surrounding Custer State Park for the next several months. Piles can be expected to continue burning for days after ignition operations are completed. Firefighters will continually check and mop-up the piles until they are out.

Pile burning operations will continue throughout the winter as conditions allow.

For more pile burning information check the Custer State Park Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/CusterStatePark/ or contact the Park Office at 605-255-4800. 

12/14/2016 - South Dakota Wildland Fire Burning Slash Piles

• South Dakota Wildland Fire will be burning slash piles at the northwest corner of Deadwood from the Broken Boot Mine working to the east to Denver Street through the week, weather permitting.  

12/12/16 - Black Hills National Forest Pile Burning Information

• Hell Canyon fire is burning piles today through the week, conditions permitting, near Six Mile Rd (FSR 301) south to Limestone Rd (FSR 284).

12/8/16 - Black Hills National Forest Pile Burning Information

Northern Hills fire is burning along Hwy 385 today on the West side. Smoke will range from the Sugar Shack area north up to the Custer Peak area.

12/6/16 - Black Hills National Forest Pile Burning Information

• Northern Hills is burning piles that are located behind the Nemo Workcenter today in Nemo, SD and piles located approximately .5 miles east of Vanocker Canyon and the Dalton Lake Road Junction.

• Northern Hills is also planning to burn piles located west of HWY 85 off of Forest Service Road (FSR) 237.1 and 658.1. Piles will be burned on the east side of HWY 85 off of FSR 730.1, 740.1 and 198.1.

• Hell canyon will be burning piles south of Six Mile Road to Limestone Road for the remainder of the week, weather / snow conditions permitting.

Machine pile burning occurring in the northern Black Hills today

Northern Hills fire on the Black Hills National Forest, is burning 14 machine pile burns today, 12/2/2016, along snowmobile Trail #1 (FSR 222) near Schoolhouse Gulch and along FSR 393.1C (Geranium Park).

Black Hills National Forest Northern Hills Fire Burning Piles Today

Black Hills National Forest Northern Hills fire is burning piles located in the Experimental Forest area today (12/1/16). Conditions permitting, ignition will continue through the week.