RAPID CITY, S.D. – Fire crews said Tuesday afternoon that the Schroeder Fire burning west of Rapid City had burned approximately 2,100 acres as a Type II Incident Management Team took over operations. Tuesday evening, fire crews announced the fire was 45-percent contained.
During their afternoon briefing, Information Officer Rob Powell said the Cleghorn Canyon area remained the most threatened area and crews were working to shore up the lines there. A heavy air tanker was brought in to drop fire retardant around homes most at risk as crews continued structure protection. Two helicopters from the South Dakota Army National Guard also dropped water on the fire Tuesday.
Powell says the fire has passed through Westberry Trails and Pinedale Heights, and authorities were working on making sure it was safe before those residents were allowed back in.
Earlier Tuesday, it was reported two homes had been lost. But the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office made a correction Tuesday afternoon and said they were unaware of only one residential structure being lost. That structure was on Blue Sky Road and the homeowner had been notified. Two outbuildings have also been lost.
Powell says the fire also burned through some power lines in the Westberry Trails area. According to the Pennington County Fire Service, FirstNet deployed a mobile signal booster to assist firefighters with better cell phone coverage and communication capabilities in the Westberry Trails area.
The Pennington County Sheriff’s Office announced the following roads are still closed: Highway 44 to Chapel Lane and Johnson Siding Fire Station #2, Red Dale Drive at National Guard Way, Pine Dale Ridge at South Berry Pine Road and Westberry Hill Road at Nemo Road are still blocked.
In response to the Schroeder Fire and others that have started in South Dakota over the past 48 hours, Governor Kristi Noem on Tuesday declared a state of emergency through June 1, 2021 due to severe drought and dangerous fire conditions.
The order will allow the state to provide greater assistance to the response efforts of local and volunteer firefighters.
Governor Noem spent the past two days overseeing the response to the Schroeder Fire outside Rapid City while monitoring other fire incidents.
South Dakota Congressman Dusty Johnson was also in Rapid City today, and toured burned out areas of the fire, including the home that was lost.
