Cold Brook Fire Update 04/14/2015 5pm

Date: April 14, 2015
Contact: Tom Farrell, 605-745-1130

 A. Update:

1. When reported: Began as a prescribed burn in Wind Cave National Park on Monday, April 13.
2. Location: The fire is burning within the Keyhole (southern portion of Wind Cave National Park.
3. Current status: 30% of the fire is contained.  Crews finished building fire lines around the fire and continue to strengthen the existing line.
4. Weather forecast: Red Flag Warning.  The warning will expire at 9 p.m 04/14/2015.  Wednesday's forecast calls for a 60% chance of rain, mainly in the afternoon.  Temperatures will be cooler (56°F) with cloud cover.  West winds 9 to 15 mph with gusts as high as 21 mph.
5. Structures threatened: Three ranches along the park's eastern boundary and two park structures.  Those threats have been mitigated.
6. Objectives for today:

1. Provide for public and firefighter safety.
2. Keep the fire west of the Red Valley Road (NPS 5), north of the 7-11 Road (101), and east of Highways 385 and 87.

B. Size:

1. Acres involved: The prescribed burn was 1,100 acres.  The fire has subsequently burned an estimated 5,400 acres beyond the prescribed acreage.  This total will be updated this evening as more information is available.

C. Closures/Evacuations:

1. The park's backcountry and trails are closed.  Visitors are strongly encouraged to stay on established roads and watch for emergency vehicles.

2. No evacuations have been ordered at this time.

3. Park roads NPS 5 and 6 (Red Valley Road and Highland Creek Road) are closed due to heavy fire traffic.

4. Highway 385 was closed for about an hour today as firefighters back burned along the highway.  The road is currently open to traffic.

D. Fire Conditions:

1. Terrain: Steep and rugged.

2. Fuel type: Timber and prairie.

E. Resources Involved:

1. Agencies involved: Various local, state, and federal agencies, including the Piedmont VFD, Bear Mountain Hot Shot Crew, Rapid City Fire Department, Keystone VFD, Interior VFD, Paulton Tender, Mountain View Engine, Platteville VFD, North Metro VFD, South Dakota Department of Corrections, Haywood VFD, South Dakota Army National Guard, North Haines VFD, Wall VFD, Natrona County Fire (Wyoming), and Johnson County Fire (Wyoming).

2. A Type III Incident Management Team is currently managing the fire.

3. Number: 70 people assigned to the incident.

4. Air resources:

1. Two South Dakota Army National Guard Blackhawk helicopters and two Single Engine Air Tankers (SEATS) are operating on this fire.

2. Dipping location: The helicopters are dipping out of Cold Brook Reservoir near Hot Springs.