Lightning sparks small Hills fires

By Jan Kaus, Northern Hills Bureau | Thursday, August 28, 2003

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As firefighters in Wind Cave National Park mop up a 12-acre fire north of park headquarters, other blazes flared in the Black Hills on Wednesday afternoon when a lightning storm passed through and ignited trees — mostly near Deerfield Reservoir.

The only fire still considered active Wednesday night was the Parm Canyon Fire on the Wyoming-South Dakota border northwest of Deerfield Reservoir, according to Kelly Stover, fire information officer with the Northern Great Plains Interagency Dispatch Center. That blaze was reported to be about 3 acres and had not been contained by news deadline Wednesday.

"We have a heavy air tanker flying on it and additional resources in the form of engines and a helicopter," Stover said Wednesday night.

Tom Farrell of Wind Cave National Park said the Curley Canyon Fire two miles north of park headquarters was controlled by 4 p.m. Wednesday. The fire was reported at 9 a.m. Tuesday by hikers walking along Centennial Trail. Crews from National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, and State Department of Corrections worked to suppress the fire, containing it by 8:30 p.m. Tuesday.

"As of 4 p.m. Wednesday, it was controlled, and firefighting efforts were transferred back to the park," Farrell said. "The two DOC crews were released, and park workers mopped up the majority of the fire."

The Curley Canyon Fire burned pine needles and grass on a steep slope, Farrell said. Two air tankers and a helicopter dropped retardant and water to slow the growth of the fire until hand crews were able to dig a 4,200-foot line around the fire.

Stover said several small lightning-caused fires were reported Wednesday.

"We've been able to keep them small, and air tankers have been available to help with the efforts," she said. "They were timber fires, mostly single trees hit by lightning."

Stover said one of the fires, dubbed the Seven Fire, was about three miles south of Hot Springs on Highway 79. It burned only about one-tenth of an acre on Seven Sisters Mountain Range.

"The front has passed, but we're expecting some erratic winds, which could hamper efforts," Stover said Wednesday night. "And then, there is the possibility of holdover lightning strikes into tomorrow. If we get through the next 12 to 24 hours, we should be doing better. That's when colder weather is supposed to get here."

Contact Jan Kaus at 642-8822, ext. 11, or jan.kaus@rapidcityjournal.com