RAPID CITY, S.D. — South Dakota Wildland Fire, a division of the South Dakota Department of Agriculture, is urging residents who have burned brush piles this season to ensure that the piles have been completely extinguished. SD Wildland Fire also asks landowners to curtail any open burning activity. Several incidents have occurred in the last week where brush piles have ignited wildland fires.
The expected warm temperatures and increased winds over the Black Hills through the weekend will allow for snowpack melt. These conditions can cause burn piles to re-ignite if the pile has not been completely extinguished and is cold to the touch.
Burn permit holders are reminded to use the back of their hands to feel the ashes; if you can touch the ashes without feeling any type of heat from the pile you can consider the pile cold and out. If a pile should escape and start a wildland fire, landowners or burn permit holders can be held financially responsible for all suppression costs within the Black Hills Forest Fire Protection District.
For more information, go to http://wildlandfire.sd.gov/ or call 605.393.8011.
South Dakota Wildland Fire can be found on Twitter @SDWildlandFire and on Facebook by searching SD Wildland Fire.
Agriculture is a major contributor to South Dakota’s economy, generating $25.6 billion in annual economic activity and employing over 115,000 South Dakotans. The South Dakota Department of Agriculture’s mission is to promote, protect and preserve this industry for today and tomorrow. Visit SDDA online at http://sdda.sd.gov or find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. SD Ag Chat podcasts can be found in the Ag News section at http://sdda.sd.gov/news. You may subscribe, free of charge, through Google Play Music, iTunes or from https://sdagchat.podbean.com/.
— South Dakota Department of Agriculture
For more news from South Dakota, click here.