Pretty Flower Fire Update For 2-22-2017

Hayward, S.D. - This morning, two engines and two hand crews from South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression remain on the scene of the Pretty Flower Fire to complete mop-up operations. As of 10 am, Incident Commander Ray Bubb is listing the Pretty Flower Fire as 100% contained. 

Overnight, two engines and one Incident Commander from the Keystone Fire Department remained on scene to monitor the fire and continue mop-up operations. The fire area received some precipitation which allowed fire management to release one of those engines. Although precipitation was received, the area was already dry as of 10 am this morning courtesy of breezy conditions that exist within the fire area.

At just after 10 am yesterday morning, February 21, Pennington County 911 received a report of a possible structure fire in the area of Pretty Flower Ln. and South Dakota Highway 40 near the Hayward Fire Station. What initially appeared to be a structure fire was a fast moving wildland fire. Fueled by dead, dry, receptive fuels and pushed by wind gusts approaching 40 mph, the fire spread quickly. The fire burned on primarily private land.

Location: Between Keystone and Hermosa, S.D. near the intersection of Pretty Flower Ln. and South Dakota Highway 40 near a community known as Hayward, S.D.

Size: 33.13 acres. This adjustment reflects more accurate GPS mapping.

Containment: The fire is 100% contained as of 10:00 am MST on February 22, 2017.

Resources Threatened: No resources are currently threatened. Yesterday, approximately 20-30 homes in the Rushmore Ranch Road area were threatened. The Hayward Fire Station was among the structures threatened. No structures were damaged or destroyed during the incident.

Evacuations: All evacuation orders have been lifted.

Closures/Restrictions: Rushmore Ranch Rd. and roads off of Rushmore Ranch Rd. are re-opened to local traffic. Emergency vehicle traffic will continue today as crews complete mop-up operations.

Cause: Investigators have determined that the fire is human caused. A slash pile that was burned by a land owner while acceptable snow-cover existed  appears to have escaped containment.

Pretty Flower Incident Management would like to take this opportunity to remind landowners that have burned slash piles this winter to check their piles. Although acceptable snow-cover may have existed during their burning activities, those piles may remain hot and could pose a risk to escape containment. Landowners are responsible for continuing to check their piles.

The successful resolution of this incident is due to outstanding interagency cooperation and the dedication of responders. City, County, State and Federal resources all demonstrated quick, professional skill which ultimately led to no structures being damaged or destroyed and brought the Pretty Flower Fire to a safe conclusion.

This represents the last release of information from this page. Any subsequent releases of information regarding the Pretty Flower Fire will be issued by the South Dakota Division of Wildland Fire Suppression.

 Contact Jim Bussell, Pretty Flower Fire Public Information Officer, at 605-863-0061 for questions regarding this release.

-END-

Pretty Flower Fire Evening Update

Crews make good progress, evacuations lifted

 

 

Hayward, S.D. - Crews made good progress throughout the afternoon today leading to increased containment of the Pretty Flower Fire.

At just after 10 am this morning, Pennington County 911 received a report of a possible structure fire in the area of Pretty Flower Ln. and South Dakota Highway 40 near the Hayward Fire Station. What initially appeared to be a structure fire was a fast moving wildland fire. Fueled by dead, dry, receptive fuels and pushed by wind gusts approaching 40 mph, the fire spread quickly. The fire burned on primarily private land.

As of 5:30, fire crews are beginning to demobilize and leave the fire scene. Two engines and an Incident Commander will remain on the fire overnight. Tomorrow, two engines and two hand crews from South Dakota Wildland Fire will continue mop-up operations and work to achieve 100% containment.

 

Location: Between Keystone and Hermosa S.D. near the intersection of Pretty Flower Ln. and South Dakota Highway 40 near a community known as Hayward, S.D.

 

Size: 33.13 acres. This adjustment reflects more accurate GPS mapping.

 

Containment: The fire is 75% contained as of 5:30 pm MST.

 

Resources Threatened: No resources are currently threatened. Earlier today, approximately 20-30 homes in the Rushmore Ranch Road area were threatened. The Hayward Fire Station was among the structures threatened.

 

Evacuations: All evacuation orders have been lifted.

 

Closures/Restrictions: Rushmore Ranch Rd. and roads off of Rushmore Ranch Rd. are re-opened to local traffic. Heavy emergency vehicle traffic will continue overnight.

 

Cause: Investigators have determined that the fire is human caused. A slash pile that was burned by a land owner while acceptable snow-cover existed  appears to have escaped containment.

Pretty Flower Incident Management would like to take this opportunity to remind landowners that have burned slash piles this winter to check their piles. Although acceptable snow-cover may have existed during their burning activities, those piles may remain hot and could pose a risk to escape containment. Landowners are responsible for continuing to check their piles.
 

There are no further anticipated releases from this page unless significant activity occurs. Please tune to local media outlets for further updates.

 Contact Jim Bussell, Pretty Flower Fire Public Information Officer, at 605-863-0061 for questions regarding this release.

 Pretty Fire Evacuations Lifted

Rushmore Ranch Open to Local Traffic

 

Hayward, S.D. - As of 4:10 pm MST, all evacuation orders related to the Pretty Flower Fire have been lifted.

 

Rushmore Ranch Road and roads off of Rushmore Ranch Rd. are open to local traffic only.

 

 

Please contact Pretty Flower Fire Public Information Officer Jim Bussell at (605)-863-0061.

 

-END-

Pretty Flower Fire Update

Wildland Fire Near Hayward Continues to Burn, Threaten Structures

 

Hayward, S.D. - At just after 10 am this morning, Pennington County 911 received a report of a possible structure fire in the area of Pretty Flower Ln. and South Dakota Highway 40 near the Hayward Fire Station. What initially appeared to be a structure fire was a fast moving wildland fire. Fueled by dead, dry, receptive fuels and pushed by wind gusts approaching 40 mph, the fire spread quickly. The fire is burning on primarily private land.

 

Location: Between Keystone and Hermosa S.D. near the intersection of Pretty Flower Ln. and South Dakota Highway 40 near a community known as Hayward, S.D.

 

Size: Approximately 30-40 acres. This estimate is anticipated to change with more accurate mapping.

 

Containment: The fire is 10% contained at this time.

 

Resources Threatened: Approximately 20-30 homes in the Rushmore Ranch Road area are threatened. The Hayward Fire Station is among the structures threatened.

 

Evacuations: 20-30 residences have been asked to evacuate in the Rushmore Ranch Road area. A reception center for evacuees has been established at the Keystone Community Center by the American Red Cross serving Central and Western South Dakota and Pennington County Emergency Management.

 

Closures/Restrictions: Rushmore Ranch Rd. and roads off of Rushmore Ranch Rd. are closed at this time. Pretty Flower incident Command requests that South Dakota Highway 40 be restricted to local and emergency traffic only.

 

Cause: Investigators have determined that the fire is human caused. A slash pile that was burned by a land owner while acceptable snow-cover existed  appears to have escaped containment.

Pretty Flower Incident Management would like to take this opportunity to remind landowners that have burned slash piles this winter to check their piles. Although acceptable snowcover may have existed during their burning activities, those piles may remain hot and could pose a risk to escape containment. Landowners are responsible for continuing to check their piles.
 

An updated release is planned for 5 pm MST unless significant activity occurs.

Updates may also be found on Twitter by following @PennCoIMT3 or by searching #PrettyFlowerFire.

Contact Jim Bussell, Pretty Flower Fire Public Information Officer, at 605-863-0061 for questions regarding this release.

Above: Panoramic view near the point of origin.

Above: A view of the fire area from Rushmore Ranch Rd. looking west.

Above: Fire came very, very close to a number of structures, including this one.

Above: One of the primary residences threatened by the Pretty Flower Fire.

Pretty Flower Fire Burning Between Hermosa and Keystone

Evacuations Underway

 

Hayward, SD - A fast burning wildland fire between Hermosa and Keystone, S.D. has forced the evacuation of 20-30 homes in the area.

 

The fire, known as the Pretty Flower Fire, is being managed by Pennington County Fire Service agencies in cooperation with State agencies. The fire is burning on mostly private land and is estimated to be 20-30 acres. That estimate will be adjusted with more accurate mapping.

 

20-30 residences are evacuated. Pennington County Emergency Management and the American Red Cross serving Central and Western SD has established an evacuee reception center at the Keystone Community Center. In addition to structures, infrastructure such as wells and power lines are threatened.

 

The fire is 0% contained at this time.

 

No injuries have been reported.

 

Approximately 75 firefighters are on scene. Two wildland hand crews are on scene as well as a bulldozer from South Dakota Wildland Fire Suppression.

 

Closures include all roads off of Rushmore Ranch Rd. Incident Command requests that Highway 40 traffic be limited to emergency vehicles and local traffic only.

 

There is no current estimate on a containment date or time.

 

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

 

An updated release is planned for 3:00 pm MST.

 

Please contact Jim Bussell, Pretty Flower Public Information Officer, at 605-863-0061 for questions related to this release.

 

-END-



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.

-END-

Cottonwood Fire Morning Update, 10-18-2016

Wall, S.D. - The Cottonwood fire erupted on Sunday October 16 and moved quickly across private and federal grassland pushed by high winds. The area was under a Red Flag Warning for high winds, low relative humidity, and high temperatures at the time the fire started. At around 6 pm Sunday evening, command of the fire was transferred to the Pennington County Type 3 Incident Management Team (PCIMT3). The fire is under unified command. Brian Daunt of the Buffalo Gap National Grassland, Wall Fire Chief John Kitterman, and Jackson County Emergency Manager Josh Nisen are Incident Commanders of the Cottonwood Fire.

As of 10:00 am MDT this morning, the fire remains at an estimated 31,000 acres. A portion of the fire perimeter was GPS mapped yesterday. That operation continues this morning. GPS mapping of the fire perimeter may result in a change in acreage. 

The red lines on this map represent fire perimeter that was GPS mapped. The blue line represents estimated fire perimeter that will be GPS mapped today.

The fire is currently 75% contained. The PCIMT3 anticipates 100% containment of the Cottonwood Fire by the end of the shift today at 6:00 pm MDT. Crews will be working throughout the day to increase containment lines and reinforce existing containment lines.

During yesterday's day shift, firefighters were able to assess damaged and destroyed structured within the fire perimeter. During this evaluation, it was determined that no primary residences- homes that are the main dwelling for an individual or family- were destroyed in the fire. An exact number of cabins, outbuildings, and other structures destroyed will continue to be determined today. Several structures remain threatened. The completion of mop-up operations around those structures will be an emphasis of firefighters today.

The Jackson County Sheriffs Office received confirmed reports of 137 cattle killed by the Cottonwood Fire. Several area ranchers report that they have additional animals injured as a result of the fire that will require evaluation by a veterinarian. Additional livestock losses are possible as a result and the number of livestock killed may rise over the coming days and weeks.

There are no road closures in effect. Additionally, the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site opened for regular business this morning. There will continue to be emergency vehicle traffic in the area and motorists are advised to be alert and use caution.

The PCIMT3 is working to bring the Cottonwood Fire to a close. There are approximately 75 personnel on the fire today, down from 100 yesterday. PCIMT3 members will be working with local government agencies and local fire chiefs to determine a plan for transition from PCIMT3 management of the incident back to local management of the fire. 

The next update for the Cottonwood Fire is scheduled for 8:00 pm MDT. The 8:00 pm update is the final anticipated update on the Cottonwood Fire from the PCIMT3.

Media members seeking comment or clarification related to this release should contact Incident Information Officer Jim Bussell at (605)-863-0061.

-END-