March 31, 2021

 Update 3/31/2021

Reminder:

    * Schroeder Fire Inciweb Link - https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7356/

    *  244 Fire Inciweb Link: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7355/  

#1.  Keystone Fire, Pennington County, 1/2 mile south of Keystone, state land 

    * Reported at 3/29/2021 at 10:06 AM 

    *  Size 9.3 acres (per GPS)

    *  50% Contained

    *  Continued significant smoke in area. Smoke will be visible from Hwy. # 40

    *  Plans to send Hand Crews to burned area April 1 to mop-up. 

    *  Cause - under investigation

#2. Dry Creek Fire, Jones County 9 miles northwest of Murdo, private land and 1/2 section of state school land

    * Reported 3/29/2021 at 12:26 PM 

    * 9,492 acres

     * 80% contained 

    *  Significant smoke will continue to be visible from I-90

    *  Cause: Downed power line in vicinity of the fire

#3 Bobcat Fire  Pennington Co. 8 miles west-southwest of Hill City, state land

    *  Reported 3/29/2021 at 1:02 PM

    * 15 acres

    * Contained 3/29/2021 at 5:41 PM

 March 30, 2021  Fire updates:

#1. Schroeder Fire, Pennington County, 4 miles west of Rapid City, state land 

    * 1,900 acres

    * Active fire behavior last evening in Cleghorn Canyon and Nameless Cave areas

    * Schroeder Fire Inciweb Link - https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7356/

    * This will be the FINAL post on this blog site for the Schroeder Fire. Please follow the Inciweb link (above) for further information. 

#2.  244 Fire

    * Pennington County, 1 1/5 mile southwest of Keystone, federal land

    * 90 acres

    * Cause under investigation

    * Fire head active; but general fire creeping and smoldering

    * Mount Rushmore continues closed

    *  244 Inciweb Link: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7355/

    * This will be the FINAL post on this blog site for the 244 Fire. Please follow the Inciweb link (above) for further information

#3. Brown Canyon, Weston County 9 miles north, north east of Newcastle, WY

    * Contained 3/29/2021 @ 5 PM

    * Control 3/29/2021 @ 6 PM

    * This will be the FINAL post for the Brown Canyon Fire

#4. Bobcat Fire  Pennington Co 8 miles west-southwest of Hill City, state land

    * Contained 3/29/2021 at 5:41 PM

#5. Argyle Fire Custer County 5 1/2 miles northwest of Hot Springs, federal land

    * Contained 3/29/2021 at 6:48 PM

    * Control 3/30/2021 at 10:14 AM

    * This will be the FINAL post for the Argyle Fire

#6. Dry Creek Fire, Jones County 9 miles north west of Murdo, private land

    UPDATED 3/30/2021 AT 6:30 PM

    * 9,911 acres (FINAL) 

        * Final acreage measure also showed that there was a 1/2 section of state school land

     * 100% contained 

    * Continuing mop-up

    * Cause: under investigation

    * Total 5 structures burned 

# 7. Keystone Fire, Pennington County, 1/2 mile south of Keystone, state land 

      UPDATED 3/30/2021 AT 6:30 PM

    * 9.3 acres 

    * 50% Contained

    * Significant smoke in area

    * Plans to have hand crews in the burn area tomorrow

    * Continue working to get a line around it

#8. 79 Fire, Custer/Fall River County Line, west side, Southwest of Buffalo Gap, private land

    * Reported 3/30/2021 at 4:46 PM

    * Size 0.12 acres

    * Cause: under investigation

    * Contained 3/30/2021 at 5:46 PM

244 Fire

3/30/21 Update

* Pennington County, 1 1/5 mile southwest of Keystone, federal land

    * 90 acres

    * Cause under investigation

    * Fire head active; but general fire creeping and smoldering

    * Mount Rushmore continues to be closed

    *  244 Inciweb Link: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7355/ 

    * This will be the FINAL post on this blog site for the 244 Fire. Please follow the Inciweb link (above) for further information

3/29/21

Information: Travis Mason-bushman, 605-228-3867, Public Information Officer (PIO)

4:30 p.m. Update

Fire crews continue to fight the 244 Fire, 1.5 miles southwest of Keystone, SD. The fire is estimated at 75 acres. Many more resources have been ordered and are en-route.

Mount Rushmore National Memorial and roads leading into the Memorial are closed until further notice. For further information on the Memorial, please contact Maureen McGee-Ballinger at 605-858-9790.

The road is also closed at Pennington & Custer County line off 16A (seasonal gates), north of Lakota Lake on Iron Mountain Road.

Fire officials again ask the public to stay out of the area for public and firefighter safety.

Cause of the fire remains unknown.

3 p.m. Update

Fire estimated at 40-50 acres.

The road is closed at Pennington & Custer County line off of 16A (seasonal gates). 

12:30 p.m. Update

Fire crews are responding to a wildfire 1.5 miles southwest of Keystone, SD and is estimated to be 20 acres.

Highway 244 is closed from Keystone to the stoplight at Mount Rushmore Memorial. 16A beginning at Grizzly Campground is also closed.

Fire officials are asking the public to stay out of the area for public and firefighter safety.

The fire is burning in heavy dead and downed timber with very high potential for spread due to very high winds. Cause of the fire is unknown.

March 29, 2021

Incident #2: 244 Fire

7:00 p.m. Update

Fire crews continue to fight the 244 Fire, 1.5 miles southwest of Keystone, SD. The fire is estimated at 75 acres. Many more resources have been ordered and are en-route.

Mount Rushmore National Memorial and roads leading into the Memorial are closed until further notice. For further information on the Memorial, please contact Maureen Ballinger at 605-858-9790.

The road is also closed at Pennington & Custer County line off 16A (seasonal gates), north of Lakota Lake on Iron Mountain Road.

Fire officials again ask the public to stay out of the area for public and firefighter safety.

Cause of the fire remains unknown.

3 p.m. Update

Fire estimated at 40-50 acres.

The road is closed at Pennington & Custer County line off of 16A (seasonal gates). 

12:30 p.m. Update

Fire crews are responding to a wildfire 1.5 miles southwest of Keystone, SD and is estimated to be 20 acres.

Highway 244 is closed from Keystone to the stoplight at Mount Rushmore Memorial. 16A beginning at Grizzly Campground is also closed.

Fire officials are asking the public to stay out of the area for public and firefighter safety.

The fire is burning in heavy dead and downed timber with very high potential for spread due to very high winds. Cause of the fire is unknown.

Incident #3: Keystone Fire 

7:00 PM Update

The size of the fire was downsized from 30 acres to 15 acres following air attack. Crews are doing burnout operations and some mop-up.  Initial structure protection resources will be released to other fires.  Fire officials request that people from the public to please stay away from the area and allow firefighters to do their work.  

3:45 PM Update

Reported 3/29/2021 at 10:06 AM

Located 1.5 miles south of Keystone, SD on state land

Size: 15 acres, but area has very high winds

Cause: Under investigation

Local, state and federal resources are on site

Incident #4:  Argyle Fire 

Update at 7:00 PM on 3/29/2021

    * Fire Contained at 1648 on 3/29/2021

Reported 3/29/2021 at 11:42 AM

Located 5.5 miles northwest of Hot Springs, SD on federal land

3.15 Acres

Local, state and federal resources are on site

Cause: Under investigation

Incident #5:  Dry Creek Fire 

Updated at 7:00 PM 3/29/2021

Size:  Estimated at 9,400 acres 

Reported 3/29/2021 at 12:26

Located in Jones County, 5 miles north of Okaton and 9 miles northwest of Murdo. Jurisdiction unknown at this time

Cause is unknown 

Resources are on site

Incident #6: Bobcat Fire

    * Fire Contained on 3/29/2021 at 5:41 PM

Reported 3/292021 at 1:02 PM

Estimated 5 to 10 acres

Cause: Unknown

Incident #7:  Brown Canyon Fire

    *Contained on 3/29/2021 at 1700 

    *Controlled on 3/29/2021 at 1800

Location Weston County, WY, 9 miles north, north east of Newcastle, WY

Resources responded.

Schroeder Fire

• Located 4 miles west of Rapid City off of Schroeder Road which is off of Nemo Road in Pennington County
• Local, State, and Federal resources have responded
• This is a dynamic wind driven fire - estimated size is not available at this time
• A fire investigator has been ordered to determine cause
• Evacuations are currently taking place

UPDATE at 4:30 pm following Press Conference:

     *  Estimated at 800 acres

     * MMA flight was ordered from Colorado to fly the fire tonight and get a more accurate size

     * Infrastructure - power lines were damaged 

     * A structure assessment team has been ordered

     * Three heavy airtankers were ordered and will report to the Tanker Base

     *  An air attack platform was ordered

     * Winds have decreased and a National Guard helicopter has been in use

Official Schroeder Facebook page link: https://www.facebook.com/SchroederFire2021/

Inciweb: https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/7356/ 

March 16, 2021

 Black Hills National Forest Pile Burning

• Mystic firefighters are burning hand piles along Carter Drive (FSR 163) below Buzzards Roost today (3/16) through the end of the week. Smoke will be visible from Highway 44 & the Hisega area & may linger for several days following ignitions.

South Dakota Wildland Fire Division 

• The Black Hat Handcrew is burning approximately 30-50 slash piles along Lark Lane near Black Hawk today and throughout the week. Smoke will be visible in the area and may linger for several days following ignitions. 

March 12, 2021

 Black Hills National Forest Pile Burning

Tomorrow, 3/13/21, Mystic firefighters will be burning hand piles along Bogus Jim Road (FSR 202) and small machine piles along Edelweiss Road (FSR 251) ahead of the anticipated winter storm. Smoke may linger in the area following ignitions.

March 10, 2021

 Black Hills National Forest Pile Burning

• Mystic Fire (Central Hills) will be burning up to 48 acres of hand piles along Bogus Jim Road (FSR 202) starting today, March 10th if conditions are favorable. Smoke may linger in the area overnight following ignitions and be visible from Johnson Siding and Custer Gap.

March 8, 2021

 Black Hills National Forest Pile Burning

• Northern Hills fire will be lighting a few machine piles today in the Viper timber sale area around Rapid Creek and Bohls Canyon. If these piles burn according to plan and within prescription, additional piles will be burned tomorrow, 3/9/21.

Prescribed Burn Continues SW of Rapid City, SD today, March 5, 2021

If you are seeing and smelling smoke in the air, a prescribed burn continues today southwest of Rapid City, SD on the Black Hills National Forest. 

Thank you local communities and public for your support! Fire officials say smoke now is a much better alternative for the forest and our communities than smoke from an uncontrolled summer wildfire.

Periodic prescribed burns prevent heavy fuel accumulation that would send a larger amount of smoke into the air should a wildfire occur.

Victoria Prescribed (Rx) Fire Southwest of Rapid City, SD

(Rx photos below by Matt Daigle, USDA Forest Service/Black Hills National Forest)

Victoria Broadcast Burn Planned Southwest of Rapid City, SD, Wed. March 3, 2021

Rapid City, SD, March 2, 2021 – If you see a large plume of smoke in the air tomorrow, (Wed. March 3 – Fri. March 5, 2021) southwest of Rapid City, SD, please do not call 911. Fire managers are conducting a prescribed burn 3 miles off Sheridan Lake Road and Victoria Lake Road.

The Mystic Ranger District on the Black Hills National Forest is planning to ignite up to 380 acres (over the course of three days) on the Victoria Project beginning Wednesday, March 3, 2021, weather permitting. Smoke will be visible for several miles and could impact surrounding areas for several days.

The Victoria Project area is located approximately 5 miles southwest of Rapid City, SD.

Broadcast burns are the application of fire to the landscape under pre-determined environmental conditions and geographic locations. Utilizing fire gives land managers another tool to meet resource objects. Crews have been preparing to implement the project for several years.

The U.S. Forest Service conducts broadcast burns in an effort of reducing hazardous fuels and to improve wildlife habitat and forest health. Certain criteria must be met for a broadcast burn to take place, including smoke dispersal conditions, weather, adequate staffing, and fuel moisture. These are all outlined in a 21 element burn plan, that is thoroughly reviewed before implementation.

Once completed, the burn area will also serve to lessen fire intensities from naturally ignited fires such as lightning and provide fire managers more options and increase safety when suppressing future fires.

Forest visitors are asked to be aware of their surroundings. Areas where burning operations are taking place will be signed to notify visitors. The public is also encouraged to contact a nearby Forest Service office with questions.

For more information on Black Hills National Forest prescribed fire, visit https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/blackhills/fire/?cid=FSEPRD575179.

-USDA-

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March 1, 2021

Drift Fire

• Location: 4 Miles North East of Summerset in Meade County
• Size: 0.1 acre
• State and local resources responded
• Cause: Escaped slash pile burn