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CUSTER STATE PARK - Although the Four Mile Fire in Custer
State Park had spread to 1,800 acres by this morning, the fire boss
said just before noon that he was encouraged by progress
firefighters were making.
Joe Lowe, incident commander and head of the South Dakota
Wildland Fire Suppression Division, flew the perimeter of the fire
late Tuesday morning.
If weather conditions hold, progress will continue further in
the day, Lowe said in a news release.
Burn-out operations continue with aircraft dropping retardant
to help suppress the fire. Fire managers are estimating containment
to be 20 percent with about 345 personnel on hand. Three- to
five-foot flame lengths are being reported in hot spots.
A temperature inversion held down the heat overnight and into
the morning, aiding firefighting efforts.
It was about 68 degrees at the fire camp at 9 a.m. But Lowe
said he expected the temperature inversion to lift by about noon
and temperatures to rise. "Then our efforts at control will be more
difficult," he said.
Approximately 345 firefighters are battling the blaze, which
is six miles southeast of Blue Bell Lodge. Crews worked throughout
the night conducting burnout operations and putting in hand
lines.
Gwen Lipp worked all night on the fire line as a dozer doss,
but her day job is as a fuels technician with the Hell Canyon
Ranger District of the Black Hills National Forest. She said data
from last week showed the area way below average moisture
levels.
"Satellite imagery last week showed 'relative greenness' of
the prairies and foothills of the southern black hills was far
below the average since that kind of satellite imagery began in
1993," she said.
Resources on the fire include two single-engine air
tankers; three dozers; 10 type-six engines; and four crews
including the Bear Mountain Hand Crew, Tatanka Hot Shots, and a
crew from the Department of Corrections.
More air support will join the fight today, including a P-2
Orion heavy air tanker, two Blackhawk helicopters, a small
observation helicopter and an S-64 Sikorsky sky crane, which is
expected by noon from Denver. The sky crane can carry 2,000 gallons
of water or fire retardant.
The temperature inversion was brought by a cool front
overnight that switched the wind out of the northwest, driving the
fire to the southeast.
Part of the Wildlife Loop Road remains closed.
The South Dakota Highway Patrol has taken down the roadblock at the
intersection of U.S. Highway 16A and Wildlife Loop Road. A
roadblock has been put up on the Wildlife Loop Road near Fisherman
Flats. A roadblock remains at Highway 87 and Wildlife Loop
Road.
A thick cloud of black smoke could be seen from Hermosa
rising from the park to the southwest.
Smoke will be a factor today as debris piles in the fire area
continue to burn and generate a great deal of smoke, according to a
news release from fire managers.
The fire was spotted about 1:30 p.m. Monday by an observer at
the Mount Coolidge fire lookout tower.
No cause has been determined.
The Northern Great Plains Type 2 Team headed by Lowe took over
management of the Four Mile Fire late Monday evening.
Fire danger remains at high throughout the entire Black Hills
area with very high to extreme fire danger in the prairie areas.
All fine dead fuels ignite readily and fires start easily from most
causes. Unattended brush and campfires are likely to escape. Fires
spread rapidly and short-distance spotting is common.
High-intensity burning may develop on slopes or in concentrations
of fine fuels. Fires may become serious and their control difficult
unless they are attacked successfully while small. Extra
precautions are required on outdoor burning.
The Great Plains Interagency Joint Information Center is now
open for the season. The public can call 393-8055 for the latest
fire information or visit the Four Mile Fire on the internet at
http://www.inciweb.org.
