Escaped burn pile leads to 42-acre fire

The first significant fire of the year burned an area 42 acres in size on Monday afternoon.

According to Fire Warden Charlie Harrison, a three-week-old burn pile on private land a mile to the west of Aladdin reignited at around 1 p.m. and took several hours to mop up.

"It smoldered for a while and then got caught up in the wind yesterday," he says.

Conditions are significantly dryer than usual at this time, he says, but the lack of moisture and winds can lead to dangerous situations.

Firefighters from Crook County, Aladdin, Beulah, Sundance and the Black Hills National Forest responded to the report and worked to contain the fire with assistance from the landowner.

Though it is now contained, says Harrison, "You may still see smoke from the highway for the next several days."

Conditions remain "extremely dry", he says, and, "This dry pattern is supposed to persist".

Though this is the traditional time of year for controlled burns, and no fire restrictions are currently in place, he urges caution and recommends continuing to monitor your burn piles for several weeks.

Harrison also asks that any member of the community who is planning a controlled burn call the Crook County Sheriff's Office to alert them ahead of time.