HOT SPRINGS, SD – Crews from multiple agencies are fighting a 5-acre fire in Wind Cave National Park. The park’s engine crew spotted the fire at 12:42 p.m. Saturday, July 27. As of late afternoon, the Limestone Fire was actively burning in grass and timber on a ridgetop next to Wind Cave Canyon, approximately 2 miles northeast of the park’s visitor center.
Crews from Wind Cave National Park, the Black Hat Handcrew from South Dakota Wildland Fire, and the Sioux Falls Fire Rescue fire department are working on the fire with 5 engines and one hand crew. Two aircraft, the initial attack helicopter from the Black Hills National Forest, and a SEAT, Single Engine Airtanker, operating out of the tanker base at the Hot Springs Municipal Airport, are dropping water on the fire.
No structures are threatened. The cause of the fire is lightning from a storm the night before.
The fire danger remains very high, and people are reminded to be safe in their outdoor activities.