Judging by the smoke I can see east of Hot Springs, South Dakota, and by looking at the satellite photo above, the Lemmings prescribed fire on the Mystic District of the Black Hills National Forest appears to be burning quite well. It can be seen on the right side of the photo, in the southwest corner of South Dakota.
HERE is a link to a Google map showing the exact location. On that map, you can see that the prescribed fire is just north of the Jasper fire (shown as brown or red) which burned 83,000 acres in the Black Hills National Forest and around Jewel Cave National Monument August 24, 2000. Prescribed fires conducted in Jewel Cave NM prior to 2000 caused the crowning Jasper fire to drop to the ground and burn slowly through the Monument. The only structure that burned at Jewel Cave was an old unused outhouse that firefighters forgot about. A creeping fire burned up to it and consumed it during mopup activities the day after the fire burned through the park. But management was probably happy to be rid of it since it may have been historic, and would have had to be protected and maintained for eons.
The USFS describes the Lemming prescribed fire:
The Mystic Ranger District will begin the Lemming prescribed burn, weather permitting, on September 30th and continue through the weekend. Crews aim to burn 1777 acres in the Lemming Draw area, 11 miles west of Hill City. Smoke will be visible from Hill City and many other locations, and can linger for several days after ignition has been completed. Forest Service crews will secure, patrol, and monitor control lines for as long as needed. Lemming Draw lies near the northern end of the Jasper Fire area; substantial surface fuels are present in the area as a result of the 2000 wildfire. The prescribed burn will aim to reduce the surface fuels by burning them under moderate conditions protecting existing pine seedlings and saplings, soils, and water quality.
