RAPID CITY, S.D. — The Rapid City Fire Department responded to two structure fires Wednesday and Thursday despite the freezing temperatures.
The first structure fire occurred shortly after 5:30 p.m. Wednesday evening in the 3700 block of Canyon Lake Drive where there were reports of smoke in a hallway of an apartment building.
When crews arrived on scene, they noticed a fire in the kitchen of a single apartment.
No one was home when the fire occurred, and crews extinguished the fire quickly.
The fire displaced a family of three, and the cause is under investigation.
The second structure fire occurred just before 4:30 a.m. Thursday morning in the 1100 block of Halley Avenue after the homeowner woke up to the smell of smoke and called 911.
When RCFD crews arrived on scene, they reported fire in the attic and evacuated the family and their pets. Crews located the fire and pulled the ceiling of the attic down to make sure the fire was completely extinguished.
No injuries were reported, but the fire did displace a family of four. The cause of this fire is also under investigation.
The cold weather did play a factor in fighting both fires as it is physically demanding on the firefighters and they must take extra precautions to make sure the equipment doesn’t freeze or become damaged.
