Local News

Wind Cave fire burns 200 acres

| Saturday, February 22, 2003

WIND CAVE — A wildfire sparked at Wind Cave National Park on Thursday as game-management officials were netting deer for chronic wasting disease testing was expected to be fully controlled by Friday evening.

Parks information officer Tom Farrell said the fire burned an estimated 200 acres of ponderosa pine and grassland in Blacktail Canyon in the northeast corner of the park.

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No structures were damaged, and fire crews didn't have any trouble with mop-up operations Friday.

Containment means there could still be smoke and smoldering inside the fire line, but there are no hot spots near the perimeter that could spread, Farrell said.

The fire started about 12:45 p.m. Thursday. Officials believe it was caused by sparks from "cracker shells," blank shotgun shells used to move deer out of the trees onto the prairie where they could be captured and tested.

Normally, there is snow on the ground when tests such as this are done, Farrell said. That is not the case this year, as the region continues to suffer from drought.

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