RAPID CITY, S.D. – The Rapid City Fire Department say they responded to multiple suspicious fires overnight Saturday into Sunday.
Around 11:30 p.m. Saturday night, Rapid City Firefighters responded to the nursing student building on 11th Street for a dumpster fire. Upon arrival, crews found a commercial dumpster on fire and were able to put it out quickly.
Then, around 1:00 a.m., crews were called to the alley behind 1018 11th Street for a dumpster fire, which was quickly upgraded to a structure fire. When they arrived, crews found a plastic residential garbage can against a single stall garage that was on fire and caught both the garage and car inside the garage on fire.
When crews were finishing up at that fire, another call came in shortly after 2 a.m. for a dumpster fire at 1301 Mt. Rushmore Road. When crews arrived, they found a commercial dumpster on fire that had spread to a metal storage shed.
Then at 5:45 a.m., crews were called out again. This time to 1014 South Street for a reported structure fire. When they arrived they found a garbage can, garage and motorcycle on fire. That fire also spread to a nearby fence and bushes.
When crews were still at that fire, they were called to another fire shortly after 6 a.m. to 1902 Lacrosse Street for a shipping container that had caught fire. When they arrived, crews reported some carpeting, pallets, and other debris inside the container was burning. This fire appeared to be un-related to the other fires.
All of these fires were put out within ten minutes. The first four fires appear to be human caused. Although it remains under investigation, it appears that someone is lighting these garbage cans on fire.
Officials say they would like to take this time to remind everyone to please put your garbage can in a secured area and don’t leave it leaning up against your garage.
The Rapid City Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division is working jointly with our investigators at The Rapid City Fire Department to investigate these suspicious fires. In the meantime, the Rapid City Police Department will be doing extra patrol in the neighborhoods where these suspicious fires are occurring and are urging residents of these affected areas to report any suspicious behavior they might observe.
