Cottonwood Fire Evening Update, 10-18-2016
Wall, S.D. - The Cottonwood Fire, which started on October 16th, is officially 100% contained as of 8:00 pm MDT this evening. The Pennington County Type 3 Incident Management Team (PCIMT3), which took over management of the fire at about 6 pm Sunday evening, has therefore turned management of the incident over to local resources. That transition took place at 8:00 pm MDT. The fire is now under the management of the Wall, Interior, Philip, and Kadoka Fire Departments, the Jackson County Sheriff's Office, and Buffalo Gap National Grassland.
Today, firefighters were able to complete containment lines, strengthen existing containment lines, and complete mop-up operations around structures in the fire area. Firefighters were also able to complete damage assessments and evaluation of structures burned in the fire.
Another emphasis for the crews today was to complete GPS mapping of the perimeter of the fire. As a result, the total acreage for the Cottonwood Fire stands at 41,360 acres. The fire did not experience any growth in the past 36 hours. This number simply represents more accurate mapping of the fire perimeter.
Livestock losses reported to the Jackson County Sheriff's Office stand at 137 as no additional losses were reported to the team.
It is of great importance to the PCIMT3 to note that the quick and noble actions of initial attack crews should be commended. In many cases, firefighters responding to the initial fire fronts put themselves at risk of great personal harm. It is also important to this team that we mention that nearly 300 firefighters from 10 Western and Central South Dakota Counties, most of them volunteers, descended on the Cottonwood Fire in short order. These actions undoubtedly stopped the Cottonwood Fire from becoming an even larger and more devastating disaster.
The PCIMT wishes to extend its profound thanks to a number of cooperating agencies for their assistance. Pennington County Search and Rescue, the American Red Cross serving Central and Western South Dakota, Eagles Nest Life Center of Wanblee, SD all had critical roles in assisting those fighting and managing the fire.
This release represents the end of releases related to the Cottonwood Fire by the PCIMT3. For clarification or comment related to this release, please contact Incident Information Officer Jim Bussell at (605)-863-0606. For requests for information subsequent to this release, please contact the Jackson County Sheriff's Office at (605)-837-2285.
To the residents of Pennington and Jackson Counties affected by this fire:
It is always the goal of our team to manage incidents in the most efficient and prudent manner possible and, by doing so, bring these difficult incidents to a quick conclusion. We do this so that the recovery process can begin and so that those affected can start to heal, as difficult as it may be. Members of this team are friends and neighbors to the residents of Eastern Pennington and Jackson Counties. Although our part of managing the incident is over, you will remain in our collective thoughts as your communities work to recover from the Cottonwood Fire. If history has taught us anything though, it is that the tough and determined spirit of the Western South Dakota rancher is a force of nature to be reckoned with unto itself. God bless.
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Livestock losses reported to the Jackson County Sheriff's Office stand at 137 as no additional losses were reported to the team.
It is of great importance to the PCIMT3 to note that the quick and noble actions of initial attack crews should be commended. In many cases, firefighters responding to the initial fire fronts put themselves at risk of great personal harm. It is also important to this team that we mention that nearly 300 firefighters from 10 Western and Central South Dakota Counties, most of them volunteers, descended on the Cottonwood Fire in short order. These actions undoubtedly stopped the Cottonwood Fire from becoming an even larger and more devastating disaster.
The PCIMT wishes to extend its profound thanks to a number of cooperating agencies for their assistance. Pennington County Search and Rescue, the American Red Cross serving Central and Western South Dakota, Eagles Nest Life Center of Wanblee, SD all had critical roles in assisting those fighting and managing the fire.
This release represents the end of releases related to the Cottonwood Fire by the PCIMT3. For clarification or comment related to this release, please contact Incident Information Officer Jim Bussell at (605)-863-0606. For requests for information subsequent to this release, please contact the Jackson County Sheriff's Office at (605)-837-2285.
To the residents of Pennington and Jackson Counties affected by this fire:
It is always the goal of our team to manage incidents in the most efficient and prudent manner possible and, by doing so, bring these difficult incidents to a quick conclusion. We do this so that the recovery process can begin and so that those affected can start to heal, as difficult as it may be. Members of this team are friends and neighbors to the residents of Eastern Pennington and Jackson Counties. Although our part of managing the incident is over, you will remain in our collective thoughts as your communities work to recover from the Cottonwood Fire. If history has taught us anything though, it is that the tough and determined spirit of the Western South Dakota rancher is a force of nature to be reckoned with unto itself. God bless.
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