Above: The Legion Lake Fire off Lame Johnny Road in the southern portion of the fire not far from Highway 79 December 14, 2017.
(Originally published at 2:42 p.m. MST December 15, 2017)
Firefighters are beginning to get a handle on the Legion Lake Fire burning in the Black Hills of South Dakota in both Wind Cave National Park and Custer State Park. After conducting burnout operations on the east and west sides, and corralling a slopover on the southwest corner, the Incident Management Team (IMT) reports that the fire now totals 53,875 acres.
Mop up will continue through the weekend and some resources are being released. The Type 2 IMT expects to transition back to a local Type 3 IMT by Saturday. Highways 16A and 87 remain closed due to the threat of falling trees. The two air tankers were released but the the Type 3 helicopter remains on scene for aerial recon.
Map of the Legion Lake Fire. The red dots on the west side represent heat detected by a satellite at 2:12 a.m. MST December 15, 2017.
The aerial photo below shows the northeast corner of the fire during burnout operations late in the day on December 13, with helpful notes to identify landmarks. Click on it a couple of times to see a larger version.
Now that the spread of the fire has been halted, at least temporarily, Custer State Park has been able to reassign some of their staff to assessing the wildlife. Here is what they reported Friday afternoon:
The majority of our bison herd has been discovered and we are currently in the process of gathering them up and assessing them. The majority of our pronghorn, elk and deer herds have also been located and visually appear to be doing well. We found half of our burro herd and they were the animals that were most impacted by the fire. They are currently being evaluated by veterinarians for an overall health check. We will continue to look for the remainder of the burro herd, but at this time it is believed they did not survive the extreme fire growth from Tuesday night.
The weather Saturday and Saturday night should help slow down the fire even more, with an 80 percent chance of an inch of snow. The high temperatures on Saturday and Sunday will be in the 30s.
Seen at the Incident Command Post December 13, 2017.The Legion Lake Fire December 13, 2017. IMT photo.The Legion Lake Fire December 13, 2017. IMT photo.
Above: the Legion Lake Fire off Lame Johnny Road near Highway 79.
(Originally published at 4:44 p.m. MST December 14, 2017)
The primary emphasis on the Legion Lake Fire in the Southern Black Hills of South Dakota is shifting from line construction and burning out to mop-up. On Thursday some areas were still being being burned out to secure a few sections of the perimeter, but most of the firefighters were locating and suppressing anything that is still burning close enough to the edge of the fire to be a potential threat to cross the fireline.
The Incident Management Team is calling the fire 47,312 acres, but that could change if more accurate mapping becomes available. That size puts it on the list as the third largest wildfire in recorded history of the Black Hills.
We have been hearing for several days that the cause was a fallen power line and that has been confirmed.
It was overcast and windy at the fire Thursday with north winds gusting at 12 to 20 mph. They should subside Thursday night but resume on Friday blowing from the west at 15 gusting to 20 mph under mostly sunny skies. Saturday will bring a 50 percent chance of a small amount of precipitation, about 0.05″ of rain or less than an inch of snow.
All evacuation orders have been lifted. Custer State Park and Wind Cave National Park are closed to the public, except in Wind Cave the roads that are still open include Hwy. 385, Hwy 87, and Beaver Creek Road (across from the fire lookout tower). In Custer State Park portions of Highways 16A and 87 are still closed.
The RJ85 air tanker that was at Rapid City has gone back to California and the other, an MD-87, is on her day off today. The lead plane has also departed, so it appears that the remaining air tanker will probably be released when it returns to duty Friday.
On Thursday we shot the photos below on Lame Johnny Road in the southern portion of the fire not far from Highway 79. Click on the photos to see larger versions.
After leaving the Incident Command Post at the Legion Lake Fire December 13, 2017 I recorded part of the journey along Hwy 16A back to Highway 79 in the Black Hills of South Dakota. The fire has burned about 47,000 acres as of December 13, 2017. You will see patches of snow on the side of the road and at 5:46, deer.
Tuesday night the fire mushroomed to about 40,000 acres
The Legion Lake Fire December 13, 2017 along Hwy 16A.
(UPDATED at 8 p.m. MST December 13, 2017)
The north end of the Legion Lake Fire did not move much Wednesday because much of it, especially after burnout operations, is bordered by highways — 87 and 16A. In addition, the northwest wind tends to keep it from spreading north or west.
At least one large air tanker dropped five loads of retardant on the south end of the fire Wednesday near Fusion Canyon. At about 5 p.m. the fire spotted across the retardant but a dozer and engine crews were able to stop the additional spread north of 7-11 Road.
Retardant drop on the Legion Lake Fire, December 13, 2017 by Tanker 101, an MD-87. Photo by Rob Powell.
Burnout operations continue near Blue Bell Lodge, the State Game Lodge, and near the dormitories at the northeast end of the Wildlife Loop.
State of SD Air Attack 3SD shared this image of the afternoon burnout operations protecting the State Game Lodge in Custer State Park. #LegionLakeFirepic.twitter.com/9xE2VrV1fP
On Wednesday a firefighter experienced a medical condition and was transported off the fire by a Lifeflight helicopter. No other information is available.
The incident Management Team reported Wednesday afternoon that the fire has burned 47,312 acres. That figure is based on a very rough, quick and dirty map of the perimeter. If the fire does not grow very much after Wednesday afternoon, it is likely that the acreage figure will decrease when there is time for more accurate mapping.
The weather forecast for Thursday still features strong north-northwest winds of 13 to 21 mph gusting near 30 with the relative humidity mostly in the 40s. The next significant chance for precipitation will be Saturday — 40 percent chance of receiving about 0.03″ of rain or 0.2″ of snow.
A large proportion of Custer State Park has burned (I’m guessing 30 to 60 percent), and the park is asking for hay donations.
Below, is an update on the fire, December 13 at 2:00 p.m., from Travis Lipp, Operations Section Chief on the Rocky Mountain Blue Team.
The Legion Lake Fire exploded across Custer County in South Dakota Tuesday night burning out of Custer State Park, through the east side of Wind Cave National Park, and reaching Highway 79 before the forward progress was halted by firefighters working through the cold, windy night.
The fire was pushed by predicted strong winds gusting well over 35 mph out of the north-northwest. Combined with relative humidity in the teens and twenties the fire spread quickly past the Blue Bell Lodge, French Creek Horse Camp and down Lame Johnny Road in the middle of the night. Evacuations were ordered in those areas as well as Buffalo Gap and Fairburn. Some firefighters who were en route home after working on the fire all day were called back to protect structures. Numerous fire departments from across the Black Hills sent personnel and equipment in an effort, apparently successful, to save homes.
Highway 79, the main route from the south into Rapid City, was closed during the night and was still closed at 8:45 a.m and was open after 11 a.m.. Wednesday from Hermosa to Maverick Junction east of Hot Springs. The two dirt roads in Wind Cave National Park, NPS 5 (aka Red Valley Road) and NPS 6, are closed. Highway 87 is open in Wind Cave, but closed in Custer State Park. The portion of Highway 16A in the state park is also closed.
Jeni Lawver, a spokesperson for the Blue Type 2 Incident Management Team, said multiple outbuildings, but no residences, were destroyed. Firefighters were able to protect the structures at Blue Bell and the State Game Lodge. The IMT estimates the fire now encompases 35,000 acres but as of 8:15 a.m. they had not been able to accurately map the fire. Satellite data from 2:49 a.m. Wednesday indicates the approximate size is over 41,000 acres.
Today the two large air tankers that have been staged at Rapid City will be used if needed, Ms. Lawver said.
As you can see in the map below, by early Wednesday morning at 2:48 a.m. the fire had burned from the Legion Lake area to the southeast, across the Wildlife Loop Road and the northeast section of Wind Cave National Park, reaching Highway 79 about five miles north of Buffalo Gap. The Incident Management Team reported at 9 a.m. that overnight the fire continued to the south reaching the 7-11 road east of Buffalo Gap, but still remained west of Highway 79 thanks to successful burnouts conducted by firefighters working through the night.
The red line was the approximate perimeter of the Legion Lake Fire at 2:48 a.m. December 13, 2017 based on heat sensors aboard a satellite. The white line was the approximate perimeter about 24 hours before.
Ranchers lost some fences in the area but all of the boundary fence on the east side of Wind Cave NP has been replaced in recent years with metal — steel posts anchored in concrete. It could be problematic if the bison in Wind Cave escaped and mixed with cattle, potentially ruining the genetic purity of the animals in the park.
The Legion Lake Fire burns through the east side of Wind Cave National Park at 12:07 a.m. MST December 13, 2017.
Wednesday morning a nearby weather station was still recording strong winds gusting at 22 to 30 mph out of the north. The forecast for the fire area predicts continued unfavorable weather for firefighters on Wednesday — 14 to 20 mph winds gusting out of the northwest at 20 to 29 mph with relative humidity in the 20s. The wind should decrease Wednesday night but resume early Thursday morning with gusts from the north above 30 mph and humidity in the 40s.
The fire began to spread quickly again after 5 p.m., heading southwest toward the Wildlife Loop Road
Above: The southwest side of the Legion Lake Fire as seen from Mt. Coolidge Tuesday afternoon December 12, 2017. Note the snow still left along the road.
(UPDATED at 10:30 p.m. MST December 12, 2017)
Firefighters from around the Black Hills responded to the Legion Lake Fire Tuesday night to help provide structure protection as the fire ran to the south and southeast pushed by increasing winds. Areas being threatened include Blue Bell, the Horse Camp northeast of Blue Bell, and Lame Johnny Road.
The fire has spread out of Custer State Park into the Lame Johnny Road area. At about 10:30 p.m. a portion of Highway 79, the main route south of Rapid City, was closed by authorities.
Below is an excerpt from a posting on the Custer State Park Facebook page at about 10:30 p.m. December 12:
All residents on Lame Johnny Road should plan for immediate evacuation. Highway 79 from Maverick Junction to Highway 40 is now closed. The town of Fairburn has also been put on pre-evacuation notice.
Between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. a weather station in the area recorded sustained winds at 13 to 20 mph gusting above 30 mph and relative humidity in the teens.
****
(UPDATED at 7:30 p.m. MDT December 12, 2017)
Less than an hour after we posted the information farther down at 6:35 p.m. on Tuesday, we learned that several local fire departments are sending firefighters to the Legion Lake Fire to help deal with the rapidly expanding fire and protect structures. Tuesday evening the east side of the fire developed a rapid rate of spread to the southeast threatening structures. The Incident Management Team is hoping they can stop it at the Wildlife Loop Road, but the strong wind will present a challenge.
A weather station southeast of the fire started recording increasing wind speeds at 5:18 p.m. on Tuesday, with sustained winds of 14 to 17 mph gusting at 24 to 34.
Custer State Park posted the following statement on their Facebook page at about 7:07 p.m. Tuesday:
#LegionLakeFire activity has greatly increased due to high wind gusts. It is believed that this has taken place in the French Creek Natural Area with spotting up to one half mile east of the fire flank. Due to smoky conditions, firefighters are challenged to know the exact location where the fire has spotted. Firefighters are currently on the ground assessing the situation and structure defense resources are en-route. We will continue to update you with fire information as we receive it.
Custer County Sheriff’s Office is in the process of evacuating residents at risk east of the Custer State Park boundary near Wildlife Loop Road and LH Road. Please call Custer County Dispatch for evacuation information at 605-673-8176.
****
(Originally published at 6:35 p.m. MST December 12, 2017)
On Tuesday for the first time, firefighters on the Legion Lake Fire east of Custer, South Dakota had access to an aircraft and the smoke cleared long enough to more accurately map the fire from the air. They found that it now covers about 4,000 acres.
The Incident Management Team led by Incident Commander Rob Powell has developed a strategy of removing the fuel ahead of the fire by burning it in a controlled manner from available roads. This will increase the size significantly, quadrupling it to about 15,000 to 16,000 acres, Mr. Powell said Tuesday afternoon. There are several reasons for choosing this strategy.
Strong winds are in the forecast Tuesday night through Thursday evening — 16 to 24 mph gusting up to 33 mph. The sooner the firelines are secured by burning, the better the chance of making it through the wind event unscathed.
The access into the area where the fire is burning now is very limited. There are some two-track roads, but they are too narrow for a vehicle to turn around, pass an oncoming vehicle, or park off the road. This would make it unsafe to commit people to those locations.
Finding highly skilled hand crews, such as Type 1 Hotshot crews, is extremely difficult in December, especially with the huge Thomas Fire threatening thousands of homes in Southern California. This would make it very difficult to construct hand fireline on the fire edge around the entire fire.
The red line shows the estimated location of the perimeter of the Legion Lake Fire Tuesday afternoon. Map by the Incident Management Team. Click to enlarge.
On the south side the plan is to use Rimrock and Ridge Roads, while on the east, Dry Creek Road and the Wildlife Loop are the targets.
Firefighters on Tuesday were busy implementing the burnouts along Highways 87 and 16a. A fresh shift will take over around sunset and continue the burnout all night.
Firefighters burning out from Highway 87 on the Legion Lake Fire Tuesday afternoon. Click to enlarge.
