South Dakota 2005

[NJFFSA16]

Wildfire near Piedmont burns at least 3,500 acres in Black Hills

PIEDMONT, S.D. (AP) - A wildfire that destroyed a house and a
mobile home scorched at least 35-hundred acres in the Piedmont area
of the Black Hills, and officials indicate it has likely burned
more.
Fire information officer Don Carpenter says firefighters have
contained 5 percent of the Ricco Fire behind fire lines, and it
continues to move north-northwest but at a much slower pace.
Carpenter says the fire has been growing throughout today, but
heavy smoke has kept officials from getting an updated acreage
estimate.
Two heavy air tankers, four helicopters and 45 engines were
brought in to help 12 hand crews battle the blaze northwest of
Rapid City. In all, 424 people are working to bring the Ricco Fire
under control.
Evacuation orders have been lifted for some subdivisions in and
around Piedmont, while others remain in effect. Many other area
residents are being told to be ready to evacuate on a moment's
notice.



(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[NJFFSA16]

PIEDMONT, S.D. (AP) - Crews have made progress building a fire
line on the east side of a wildfire burning in the Black Hills, but
the blaze remained just 5 percent contained Monday, officials said.
The Ricco wildfire has scorched about five square miles in the
Piedmont area northwest of Rapid City since it started Friday
night, destroying a house and a garage, authorities reported.
The area causing the most trouble Monday was along the south and
west lines because of rugged terrain.
Cooler temperatures and subsiding winds helped firefighting
conditions and allowed crews to conduct burnouts, which essentially
use fire to fight fire.
Burnouts are intended to clear vegetation that could serve as
fuel for a wildfire. Crews light smaller acreages and let it burn
to the larger fire, said division group supervisor Matt Spring.
"Last couple of days, we've burned out approximately two miles
of lines and held and secured that," Spring said. "Yesterday we
had a five-acre slop over with 12 other spots and we caught those
successfully.
"And we're continuing on to get two more lines or two more
miles of lines put in."
But the weather change also kept smoke near the ground and
prevented support aircraft from taking off for a while Monday.
Tanker planes and helicopters were able to get in the air later in
the day.
Helicopters assisted ground crews by dropping bursts of a
water-foam mixture on hot spots. The craft, which only fly in
daylight, can return to the helibase within seven minutes of a drop
for another run.
Air support is crucial in a rugged area such as the Black Hills,
said helibase manager LaVerne Hermanson.
"Because of the terrain that we have, it's difficult to get in
with resources," Hermanson said.
Hermanson said it has even been difficult for aircraft to get
into some of the canyons, but crews are making it work.
Fire managers called in more crews Monday, and the fire was put
under a federal Type 1 incident management team, which means
national resources can be brought in to help.
Such teams carry about 30 members, including experts on
planning, logistics, safety and finance. They take turns being
on-call for complex wildfires and other emergencies, like hurricane
relief, and need to be packed and ready to roll within two hours.
Officials said Monday that about 3,200 acres have been burned.
They said they have not been able to get an aircraft with the
proper equipment to spot the corners of the fire to get an accurate
size.
The fire, which officials believe was sparked by lightning
Friday night in Stagebarn Canyon, spread quickly Saturday because
of triple-digit temperatures, wind gusts over 20 mph and low
relative humidity of around 12 percent.
Those conditions improved with the passage of a cold front on
Sunday, and cooler temperatures and lower winds continued to help
on Monday.
Some 500 people were battling the blaze Monday. The only
reported injury was a firefighter who has recovered from a
heat-related condition on Sunday.
As of Monday morning, two heavy air tankers, two heavy lift and
two Black Hawk helicopters and some other smaller helicopters were
involved, along with 45 fire engines.
The Upper High Meadows subdivision and the Dalton Lake
campground remained under an evacuation order Monday.
Residents of the Rolling Hills, Woodland Hills and the lower end
of the High Meadows subdivisions were warned to be ready to leave
on a moment's notice.
Officials had no estimate of how many people have had to leave
their homes.
On Monday, the Federal Emergency Management Agency announced
money will be made available to pay for three-fourths of the
state's eligible firefighting costs for the Ricco fire. Eligible
costs can include expenses for field camps; equipment use, repair
and replacement; tools; materials and supplies; and mobilization
and demobilization activities, FEMA said in a release.
The money is in response to the state's request for federal aid.

(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[mtnfireguy]

http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/media/video/

[NJFFSA16]

PIEDMONT, S.D. (AP) - The Ricco fire in South Dakota's Black
Hills is 65 percent contained, but the burned area has grown to
just over six square miles.
The fire has burned about 3,900 acres so far, but hot-shot crews
set some fires of their own Tuesday night to rob advancing flames
of fuel in an attempt to slow the blaze. Helicopters dropped
incendiary capsules on the west side of the fire.
They still hope for full containment by Saturday.
The number of firefighters on the scene grew Tuesday from 560 to
about 830.
Authorities think the wildfire, which is burning in an area
northwest of Rapid City, began Friday night after a lightning
strike in Stagebarn Canyon. It has destroyed a house and a garage
so far.
Evacuation alerts have been lifted for residents in the area,
and officials Wednesday afternoon released some of the structure
protection units that have been guarding homes since the fire began
Friday.
Joe Lowe, state wildland fire coordinator, said crews have been
working hard to protect homes and buildings.
"Those firefighters gave it everything they could to protect
those structures for people, and I don't think you can ask for
anything more from a firefighter to put his life on the line to
save a home," Lowe said.
Crews dealt with hot temperatures, lower humidity and higher
winds Wednesday, but officials said the conditions didn't cause too
many problems for firefighters. Crews had to be cautious that
embers didn't blow outside the established fire lines, they said.

(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[NJFFSA16]

RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) - Fire crews were dispatched to a fire in
eastern Meade County Tuesday. The River Bottom Fire was reported 10
miles south of Plainview along the Cheyenne River and had burned
about 150 acres as of late Tuesday afternoon.
It started in grass but quickly moved into cedar and pine trees
along the river bottom, fire officials said in a release.
People from eight volunteer fire departments were among those
initially fighting the fire. Single-engine air tankers were on
standby if firefighters feel they need them, officials said.
Beth Hermanson of the Great Plains Interagency Information
Center said flames were 8 feet to 10 feet high and the wind had
been gusting to 25 mph on Tuesday.
Officials said the forward progress of the fire has stopped at
the Cheyenne River and that crews were making good progress in
getting a line around the fire.
No structures were threatened, and the cause is being
investigated, fire officials said.

(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)