Above: On August 12 firefighters initiated burnouts as they constructed fireline. This can remove unburned vegetation between the line and the fire. Photo by William Ing.
With the heavy rain that hit the Hot Springs, South Dakota area Wednesday the threat from the Vineyard Fire has greatly diminished, with residents reporting around an inch of precipitation. On Tuesday the firefighters stopped providing updates on the Facebook page created for the fire and an entry was never made on InciWeb — indications that the firefighting activities have slowed.
But rain can’t completely extinguish a wildfire that involves timber. Roots can smolder underground for weeks or months and burning logs don’t always go out by simply applying water from above.
According to the last official update from Great Plains Fire Information on August 14 the fire had burned 560 acres, all evacuations had been lifted, and the cause was still under investigation.
William Ing took these photos on August 11 and 12 from Butler Park and the Dairy Queen in Hot Springs. Thanks William!
