Blacktail Canyon

A wildfire began shortly after noon on February 20, 2003 in Blacktail Canyon, located in the northeastern corner of the park. Suppression efforts began immediately, and as of 6:30 p.m., the 231 acre fire was 100 percent contained. The fire is bordered on the western side by the road NPS 6, and is located totally within the park. The Blacktail Canyon Fire burned in steep terrain through ponderosa pine and mixed-grass prairie.

The fire is believed to have started from cracker shells, blank shotgun shells, used to move the deer out of forested areas onto the prairie where they could be captured by the helicopter crews. Burning embers from the shells may have started the fire. Deer were being captured as part of a 3-year Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) study.

Crews from around the southern Black Hills worked on the fire. At the height of suppression efforts, there were 60 firefighters and 4 engines or water tenders assigned to the fire. Crews working the fire were from the National Park Service (NPS), Custer State Park, South Dakota State Forestry, Department of Corrections, and United States Forest Service. There were no aircraft assigned to the incident other than the Bell 306 helicopter involved in the CWD study.

Location of the Blacktail wildland fire.

Photos of the Blacktail Canyon fire.