Southern Black Hills Wildfire Forces Evacuations
A wildfire burning in the southern Black Hills has grown to 25-hundred acres.
The so-called "Alabaugh Fire" has forced the evacuation of at least fifty homes in an area five miles southwest of Hot Springs.
Evacuees are being sheltered in the Mueller Community Center in Hot Springs.
Some buildings have been lost in the fire.
The fire grew quickly overnight. It had burned about 100 acres as of ten o'clock Saturday night. The fire is burning along both sides of Highway 71.
Beth Hermanson of the South Dakota Division of Wildland Fire said, "We have a fire out there with ever-changing winds and thunderstorms moving through, so we've got weather, we've got 80-plus degree temperatures and real dry fuel so it's not a good combination."
The so-called "Alabaugh Fire" has forced the evacuation of at least fifty homes in an area five miles southwest of Hot Springs.
Evacuees are being sheltered in the Mueller Community Center in Hot Springs.
Some buildings have been lost in the fire.
The fire grew quickly overnight. It had burned about 100 acres as of ten o'clock Saturday night. The fire is burning along both sides of Highway 71.
Beth Hermanson of the South Dakota Division of Wildland Fire said, "We have a fire out there with ever-changing winds and thunderstorms moving through, so we've got weather, we've got 80-plus degree temperatures and real dry fuel so it's not a good combination."
As of a 1300 informational meeting today, Tuesday, residents were told they could return to their homes beginning at 1700. South Dakota Highway Patrol officers at the roadblocks will be determining access based on dl addresses...if you don't live there, you don't go there!
ReplyDeleteThe residence losses have reached 35 confirmed, and the fire reached almost 10000 acres between Saturday at 1945 and Tuesday 0600. Active fires remain in remote canyon lands 3 - 5 miles west of Hot Springs, just south of Highway 18.
Fr. Chip Johnson
Incident Chaplain