We checked out the Fork Fire west of Custer, SD, and the Glenerin fire east of Custer this afternoon and shot some photos. The Fork Fire was pretty quiet and had a fire line around it. There was still some interior burning going on and quite a bit of mop-up left to do, but thanks to the good work of the firefighters the prognosis is good.
These first photos are of the Fork Fire. The Glenerin photos are farther down.
There were a handful of structures within and adjacent to the fire that were protected and saved.Much of the area that burned had been thinned. There was virtually no torching or crowning anywhere in the fire due to the thinning, the wide spacing of the trees, the lack of ladder fuels, the low Haines Index, and the very strong wind that did not allow heat to build up in the crowns, keeping the fire on the ground.
More photos are below.
Nice looking truck!This photo and the next two include the engine crew on Engine 654 from the Arapaho & Roosevelt National Forest in Colorado.Engine 654 from the Arapaho & Roosevelt National Forest in ColoradoEngine 654 from the Arapaho & Roosevelt National Forest in ColoradoThere were numerous mega-slash piles in the general area of the fire. This one was protected by a dozer line put in by a USFS D-6 dozer. You don’t want one of these burning next to your fireline.
Below are photos of the Glenerin fire, 3 miles east of Custer, SD.
The Glenerin fire. The last I heard the estimated size was 10 acres.The water tender from Badlands National Park. The park bought it used, years ago when they had a need to haul water to a distant facility. In it’s previous life it was a milk truck and therefore has a stainless steel tank. It has a sleeper cab which comes in handy for extended fire assignments and holds either 3,000 or 5,000 gallons. Anyone know for sure?A Blackhawk from the South Dakota National Guard. It was explained to us that due to the steep slope the firefighters enlisted the help of the Blackhawk to deliver water to the top of the ridge.
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After working full time in wildland fire for 33 years, he continues to learn, and strives to be a Student of Fire.
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5 thoughts on “Photos of the Fork and Glenerin Fires”
Thank you so much for these wonderful photos
We live just over the hill on the back side of
The Glenerin Fire!
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You are very welcome.
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Can’t say enough about the volunteer fire departments that were running their butts off to respond to all the fires, and to the multi-agency cooperation that occurs in our area. I’m grateful to everyone, even the non-fire entities (such as Search and Rescue) who respond so quickly to help and give selflessly of their time.
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That is good forestry and firefighting ,good show, folks…
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I was in that area on Monday—missed all the excitement, but probably road closures, etc. too. What a year for the southern Black Hills.
We checked out the Fork Fire west of Custer, SD, and the Glenerin fire east of Custer this afternoon and shot some photos. The Fork Fire was pretty quiet and had a fire line around it. There was still some interior burning going on and quite a bit of mop-up left to do, but thanks to the good work of the firefighters the prognosis is good.
Thank you so much for these wonderful photos
We live just over the hill on the back side of
The Glenerin Fire!
You are very welcome.
Can’t say enough about the volunteer fire departments that were running their butts off to respond to all the fires, and to the multi-agency cooperation that occurs in our area. I’m grateful to everyone, even the non-fire entities (such as Search and Rescue) who respond so quickly to help and give selflessly of their time.
That is good forestry and firefighting ,good show, folks…
I was in that area on Monday—missed all the excitement, but probably road closures, etc. too. What a year for the southern Black Hills.