Fire Burns In Black Hills, Red Flag Warning Effects Region Today (Updated- 1:30 PM)

A new fire broke out Wednesday afternoon 7-miles south of Custer, SD according to the Great Plains Fire Information Center.

The Elephant Fire is currently sitting at 3 acres. Resources responding includes local, state and federal with the help of a Type 3 Helicopter, Air Attack Plane, two Single Engine Air Tankers and a hot shot crew.

Meanwhile the Highland Fire burning on the southern edge of Custer State Park was contained at 5 acres just before noon on Wednesday.

ORIGINAL STORY

The Great Plains Fire Information Center says that four fires have broken out in the central portions of the Black Hills of South Dakota.

The Greyhound Fire was reported around 1:20 pm on Monday just 2-miles west of Hayward between Hermosa and Keystone.  Burning just a tenth of an acre, state and federal crews had the fire contained by 3:45 on Monday afternoon.

The Taylor Trail Fire ignited a mile southwest of Hermosa on Tuesday morning just before 10:00 am and was contained to just three quarters of an acre.  State and local resources responded.

The cause of these two fires is underdetermined at this time.

The Beecher Fire, 7-miles southwest of Custer, was called in at 4:00 am Wednesday morning.  The human-caused fire was kept at 16-hundredths of an acre and controlled by 5:00 am by state, federal and local responders.

The Highland Fire on the south end of Custer State Park was listed at five acres on Wednesday morning with federal, state and local resources responding.  The cause of the fire is listed as lightning. 

Fire danger is possible for most of the area on Wednesday with strong winds and low humidity. Today’s forecast also indicates the possibility of severe thunderstorms with high winds and frequent lightning with a low chance of precipitation.

A red flag warning is in effect for most of Southwest South Dakota and the Nebraska Panhandle except for Dawes, Northern Sioux, and Box Butte Counties.