Crews are working to contain a fire that’s burned more than 12 square miles in northwest south Dakota.
A fire in the northwestern part of the state came uncomfortably close to the town of Buffalo.
Fortunately, nobody has been hurt, but officials said fighting the fire has been hard.
On Monday, lightning started three fires in Harding County. Firefighters were able to contain them.
But wind overnight reignited a new fire – the Travers Fire.
Kathy Glines is the Harding County Emergency Manager. She told SDPB on Wednesday the Travers Fire has been powerful.
“And it went to boiling. Literally we had fire going every direction but down. We’ve had multiple fire departments on it. We’re still fighting it. We still have active fire,” Glines said.
Initially, wind was heading towards the town of Buffalo. The county, with the help of firefighters from multiple neighboring counties and a few from North Dakota, employed two different fire lines as a safety guard.
The wind changed direction away from Buffalo, but Glines said the fire was close enough to see black smoke from town.
Now, Glines said the crews are keeping an eye on some important factors.
“Right now, we’re just trying to make sure that it doesn’t jump the established fire lines. And we’re watching the wind and we’re watching the heat. And, of course, we’re watching the safety of our firefighters. They’re tired; they’ve put in a couple of really long days. We’ve been fortunate we haven’t had any injuries, and we want to keep it that way,” Glines said.
Despite the stress, Glines and the surrounding communities are keeping a positive outlook.
Glines says although the fire has calmed down – the county is still keeping an eye on it because gusts of wind could cause hot areas to flare up again.
