10-17-2016 Night Update

Wall, S.D. - Crews made excellent progress during the day securing fireline and increasing containment. As of 8:00 pm the Pennington County Type 3 Incident Management Team can provide the following update:

-The fire area has been the beneficiary of precipitation during the late afternoon and early evening. In addition to the precipitation, increased relative humidity, and low temperatures in the high 30's to low 40's will help firefighters efforts. 

-Because of forecast high winds, a handful of engines will remain on the fire overnight to monitor the fire and ensure that potential flare-ups are addressed immediately.

-Crews were able to assess damaged and destroyed structures inside the perimeter of the fire. It was determined that no primary residences- homes that are the main dwelling for an individual or family- were destroyed by the fire. An exact number of cabins, outbuildings and other structures destroyed will continue to be determined tomorrow.

-The count of livestock reported killed to the Jackson County Sheriff's Office remains at 137. That number may increase throughout the coming days and even weeks.

-There are no additional releases anticipated this evening. The next scheduled update will be a media press conference at 8:00 am Tuesday morning. Briefing will take place at the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site located at I-90 Exit 131.

For questions or clarification related to this release, please contact Incident Information Officer Jim Bussell at (605)-863-0061.

-END-