3/28/25 12:30 p.m. Update: Firefighters have finished ignitions today on the Victoria prescribed burn.
3/28/25 Update: Yesterday, 3/27/25, firefighters successfully burned 25 acres. Firefighters are planning to burn an additional 5 acres today.
3/27/25 Update: The test burn was successful this morning and ignitions have begun on the Victoria prescribed burn.
Favorable
weather conditions in place for hazardous fuels reduction work
Rapid
City, SD., March 26, 2025— Please do not call 911 if you see a large plume of smoke in
the air on Thursday, March 27. The Mystic Ranger District of the Black Hills
National Forest will continue the Victoria Prescribed Fire, located
approximately five miles southwest of Rapid City, if conditions allow. If
conditions are not favorable tomorrow, fire managers will attempt ignitions
again on Friday, March 28, 2025. An estimated 30 acres will be burned.
Prescribed
fires reduce overgrown vegetation to help protect local communities,
infrastructure, and natural resources from wildfires.
No
closures are anticipated for the Victoria Prescribed Fire. Watch for warning
signs along roads near all prescribed fire areas before and during burns.
We
are asking forest visitors to avoid the area during this time. Residents may
experience smoke during the prescribed burn. Go to https://fire.airnow.gov/ to find more detailed information
about air quality. When driving, slow down and turn on your headlights if you
encounter smoke on the road.
Weather
conditions will be evaluated in the hours before the burn begins. If conditions
are not favorable, this scheduled prescribed fire activity may be canceled.
Stay
informed about scheduled prescribed fires through the forest website and social
media channels. County emergency management officials will be notified when the
burning begins.
About
the Forest Service:
The USDA Forest Service has for more than 100 years brought people and
communities together to answer the call of conservation. Grounded in
world-class science and technology– and rooted in communities–the Forest
Service connects people to nature and to each other. The Forest Service cares
for shared natural resources in ways that promote lasting economic, ecological,
and social vitality. The agency manages 193 million acres of public land,
provides assistance to state and private landowners, maintains the largest
wildland fire and forestry research organizations in the world. The Forest
Service also has either a direct or indirect role in stewardship of about 900
million forested acres within the U.S., of which over 130 million acres are
urban forests where most Americans live.
###
