Ryan Woodard, Journal staff | Posted: Monday, July 9, 2007 11:00 pm
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RAPID CITY - Fire officials are allowing evacuated residents
from the Alabaugh Canyon Fire to return to their homes today at 5
p.m.
Fire information officer Larry Helmerick said evacuated
residents will have to show their identification to get past the
roadblocks that are still up.
But they will be able to return to their homes for the first
time since being evacuated over the weekend.
Evacuations began Saturday night as the Alabaugh Fire, now at
9,883 acres and 40 percent containment, roared through the Alabaugh
Canyon area west of S.D. Highway 71.
The fire has driven almost 100 residents from more than 50
homes in the picturesque area along the highway, from Hot Springs
southwest to Cascade Falls.
Incident commander Joe Lowe said he is relieved to be able to
allow people back into their homes.
"I am happy that people will now be allowed to go home. I
understand how they must be feeling as my family was evacuated on
the East Ridge Fire last year," he said through a news release from
the Northern Great Plains Interagency Dispatch.
"The evacuees of the area have been very patient under
extremely trying times and our team is excited about these people
returning to their homes. Our heartfelt sympathy goes out to the
people that have lost homes and possessions."
Those people who lost their homes were taken up to see them
this morning, according to Helmerick.
He said crews conducted extensive burnout operations today.
Crews have begun taking control of the fire, he said.
"Right now, we're doing a very large burnout to reinforce the
line," he said at about 3:30 p.m. "A lot of smoke is visible in the
Hot Springs area but it's us doing it to the fire rather than the
fire doing it to us, for a change."
A burnout is a tactic where crews ignite grass and vegetation
between the fire lines and the fire to rob the blaze of its fuel
source.
Helmerick said that cooler weather and lower relative humidity
helped firefighters double the containment today to the current 40
percent. The blaze was 20 percent contained Monday night.
Firefighters will continue to stay on the fire until it is
fully contained, Helmerick said, and there will be crews working
around the areas of the returned evacuees.
"Homeowners will have a firefighter presence for some time,"
he said.
A total of 83 buildings have been lost in the fire, including
33 homes.
"As far as we know it's the worst fire in South Dakota as far
as homes and loss of structures," Helmerick said.
Evacuated subdivisions include Pine Shadows, Black Hills
Flyway, and Sheps Canyon. Precautionary evacuations include Old
Highway 18 to Chilson Canyon.
Today nearly 450 firefighters are involved in battling the
blaze. They are helped by five helicopters, including three of the
Air National Guard's big Blackhawk helicopters, and two
single-engine air tankers.
Containment is still expected by Thursday. The cost of
fighting the fire had soared to $1 million by late Monday.
Contact Ryan Woodard at 394-8412 or
ryan.woodard@rapidcityjournal.com
