South Dakota

Wildfire near Custer damages 10 properties, authorities say

Published

1 hour ago

March 15, 2026

Wildfire near Custer damages 10 properties, authorities say

(SOUTH DAKOTA SEARCHLIGHT) – A wildfire that’s grown to more than 11 square miles near the city of Custer in South Dakota’s Black Hills had not caused any injuries as of Saturday night but had damaged about 10 properties, the Custer County Sheriff’s Office said.

The damage ranges from sheds and garages “all the way up to some homes being lost,” said Sgt. Derrick Reifenrath in a video update on Facebook about the Qury Fire.

He said local road closures remained in effect and asked for patience as firefighting continued and hazards from heavy smoke and potentially falling trees remained.

But he said authorities would be allowing some people to visit their property if they pick up a tag at the Custer County Search and Rescue office. The tag will allow them to legally go around barricades, Reifenrath said.

He issued a warning to operators of all-terrain vehicles and side-by-side vehicles who were illegally driving on areas of the forest that firefighters cleared with bulldozers.

“You will be stopped, your name will be given to the Forest Service, and I assure you that they will prosecute you on that,” Reifenrath said.

What he called “dozer cuts” are parts of a vegetation-free line that firefighters are trying to achieve around the fire to halt its progress. Other segments could consist of lines cut by hand with shovels, as well as roads and natural barriers such as streams and rock outcroppings.

By Sunday morning, authorities said the firefighting force had grown to about 280 personnel. They estimated 2% of the fire was contained, while snow and higher humidity that moved into the area Saturday were expected to aid firefighting efforts, to a point. Too much snow could hinder firefighters’ movements, said the U.S. Forest Service’s Adam Ziegler during a Custer community meeting livestreamed to Facebook on Saturday.

Temporary flight restrictions remain in place. “Please do not fly any unauthorized aircraft over the fire,” said a news release from authorities. “If you fly, we can’t.”

News releases about the fire from state and federal officials have said the cause is under investigation. The Qury Fire started Thursday in a forested, mountainous area about 2 miles southeast of Custer in the southern Black Hills, where the winter has been unusually warm and dry. The fire’s size by Sunday morning was estimated at 7,200 acres.

On Friday, the Federal Emergency Management Agency authorized the use of federal funding to fight the fire. At the time, FEMA reported that the fire was threatening more than 100 homes in the vicinity of Custer, as well as bridges, utilities, and radio and cellphone towers. Mandatory evacuations were in place for more than 100 people and a shelter had been opened in Custer.

The funding authorization makes FEMA funding available to pay 75% of the state’s eligible firefighting costs under a grant for managing, mitigating and controlling designated fires. The grant does not provide assistance to individual home or business owners, FEMA said, and does not cover other infrastructure damage caused by the fire.

How to find up-to-date Qury Fire information

For the most up-to-date information on Qury Fire evacuations and road closures, authorities are directing people to the Custer County Sheriff’s Office and its Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/custercountysd.

Authorities are also updating a Facebook page created for the fire at https://www.facebook.com/QuryFire2026/, and information is available on the InciWeb interagency fire website at https://inciweb.wildfire.gov/incident-information/sdbkf-qury-Fire.

Fire information is available by phone at (605) 673-8155 and by email at 2026.qury@firenet.gov.

Seth is editor-in-chief of South Dakota Searchlight. He was previously a supervising senior producer for South Dakota Public Broadcasting and a newspaper journalist in Rapid City and Mitchell.

South Dakota Searchlight is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.

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South Dakota

South Dakota state girls basketball scores for March 14

Published

14 hours ago

March 15, 2026

Press Room

South Dakota state girls basketball scores for March 14

BROOKINGS, S.D. — Here’s a look at the scores from Saturday’s action at the final day of 2026 South Dakota High School Activities Association state girls basketball.

Saturday’s state tournament scores

Class AA

Seventh place

Tea Area 69, Sioux Falls Jefferson 55

Fifth place

Mitchell 59, Rapid City Stevens 53

Third place

Sioux Falls Washington 65, Aberdeen Central 42

Championship

Sioux Falls O’Gorman 59, Brandon Valley 53

Class A

Seventh place

Lakota Tech 67, Wagner 64

Fifth place

Sioux Valley 63, West Central 61

Third place

Sioux Falls Christian 51, Hamlin 50

Championship

Lennox 65, Mahpiya Luta 51

Class B

Seventh place

Centerville 53, Colman-Egan 46

Fifth place

Bennett County 58, Lyman 47

Third place

Corsica-Stickney 65, Parkston 58 (OT)

Championship

Ethan 48, Harding County 39

Marcus Traxler is the assistant editor and sports editor for the Mitchell Republic. A past winner of the state’s Outstanding Young Journalist award and the 2023 South Dakota Sportswriter of the Year, he’s worked for the newspaper since 2014 and covers a wide variety of topics. A Minnesota native, Traxler can be reached at mtraxler@mitchellrepublic.com.

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South Dakota

Firefighters in Denver metro area deploy to help with South Dakota wildfire

Published

1 day ago

March 14, 2026

Press Room

Firefighters in Denver metro area deploy to help with South Dakota wildfire

March 14, 2026 / 1:21 PM MDT
/ CBS Colorado

Two crews of firefighters from the Denver metro area left Friday to help with containment efforts on a large wildfire in South Dakota.

The Qury Fire, burning southeast of Custer, S.D., began two days ago and has covered 7,000 acres so far. It remains at 0% containment as of Saturday afternoon.

Qury Fire

West Metro Fire Rescue

West Metro Fire Rescue said the wildfire has exhibited “extreme fire behavior- including running fire, torching trees, and spot fires igniting ahead of the main fire.”

The fire is burning roughly two miles from the city, and evacuations are in place for surrounding areas.

West Metro said it expects strong winds on Saturday to hinder efforts to combat the wildfire, and three of the department’s crew members headed to South Dakota on Friday afternoon to assist.

North Metro firefighter helps with containment efforts in Qury Fire

North Metro Fire Rescue

North Metro Fire Rescue also deployed a crew with a Type III Brush Engine on Friday to help support efforts to contain the Qury Fire. They said Engine Boss Craig Talbot and firefighters Alberto Lopez, Jeff Tipton, and Shane Dougherty are working with Division F. North Metro said the division is “assisting with firing and holding operations to help keep the fire away from homes and strengthen control lines.”

“Wildland deployments like this are part of the nationwide system that sends help where it’s needed most. They also give firefighters the opportunity to gain valuable experience on large, fast-moving fires- skills they bring back to protect communities here at home,” West Metro said.

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South Dakota

Blizzard Warnings issued for parts of South Dakota and Minnesota as heavy snow and strong winds threaten whiteout conditions

Published

2 days ago

March 14, 2026

Press Room

Blizzard Warnings issued for parts of South Dakota and Minnesota as heavy snow and strong winds threaten whiteout conditions

Blizzard Warnings are in effect for parts of South Dakota and southwest Minnesota as a strong winter storm system is forecast to bring heavy snow, strong winds, and widespread blowing snow beginning Saturday, March 14. Warning timing varies by location, with some areas entering blizzard conditions Saturday night and others later overnight into Sunday.

The National Weather Service (NWS) forecasts snowfall totals ranging from about 8 to 15 cm (3 to 6 inches) in some warning areas to 25 to 48 cm (10 to 19 inches) in others, with a few zones also facing a light glaze of ice. Wind gusts are expected to reach 80 to 90 km/h (50 to 55 mph), producing blowing snow and whiteout conditions that could make travel extremely dangerous or impossible.

South Dakota

In parts of central and east-central South Dakota served by the Sioux Falls office, Blizzard Warnings are in effect from 22:00 CDT Saturday, March 14, until 01:00 CDT Monday, March 16, with expected snowfall of about 8 to 15 cm (3 to 6 inches), locally higher in some areas, and wind gusts up to 80 km/h (50 mph).

In other eastern South Dakota counties served by Aberdeen, Winter Storm Warnings begin earlier Saturday and transition to Blizzard Warnings overnight into Sunday, with some warnings ending at 19:00 CDT Sunday.

Several counties, including Hand, Hyde, Faulk, Clark, and Spink, are forecast to experience a winter storm phase before blizzard conditions develop. A Winter Storm Warning is also in effect from 19:00 CDT on March 14 until 01:00 CDT on March 15, followed by a Blizzard Warning from 01:00 CDT until 19:00 CDT on March 15. Snowfall totals in these areas are forecast to reach up to 13–25 cm (5–10 inches), combined with wind gusts up to 80 km/h (50 mph).

In Stanley, Hughes, Jones, Lyman, and Buffalo counties, a Winter Weather Advisory is in effect from 22:00 CDT on March 14 until 04:00 CDT on March 15, followed by a Blizzard Warning from 04:00 to 16:00 CDT on March 15. Total snow accumulations for the event are forecast between 5 and 15 cm (2 to 6 inches), with wind gusts up to 80 km/h (50 mph).

In northeastern South Dakota, snowfall totals are expected to be highest in counties such as Day, Marshall, Roberts, Codington, Grant, Hamlin, and Deuel, where totals range from about 25 to 48 cm (10 to 19 inches), with isolated areas near 50 cm (20 inches), along with wind gusts up to 80 km/h (50 mph). Nearby counties, including Brown, Edmunds, and McPherson, are forecast to receive lower totals, generally around 15 to 25 cm (6 to 10 inches), but still face whiteout conditions as winds increase.

Minnesota

Blizzard Warnings also affect parts of southwest Minnesota, including Lincoln, Lyon, Murray, Cottonwood, Nobles, Jackson, and Pipestone counties. Blizzard conditions are forecast from 22:00 CDT on March 14 until 07:00 CDT on March 16 as heavy snowfall and strong winds impact the region.

Snowfall totals in these areas are forecast to range between approximately 13–28 cm (5–11 inches), with wind gusts reaching up to 90 km/h (55 mph). These conditions are expected to generate widespread blowing snow and severely reduced visibility, potentially making travel extremely dangerous or impossible at times.

Additional counties, including Big Stone and Traverse, are forecast to experience a winter storm phase beginning at 13:00 CDT on March 14 before blizzard conditions develop overnight.

A Winter Storm Warning remains in effect until 03:00 CDT on March 15, after which a Blizzard Warning is expected to remain in place until 19:00 CDT the same day. Snowfall totals in these areas could reach approximately 25–48 cm (10–19 inches), with wind gusts up to 80 km/h (50 mph).

The NWS warns that the combination of heavy snowfall and strong winds could produce prolonged periods of whiteout conditions across affected areas, significantly disrupting travel and potentially impacting the Monday morning commute in parts of the Upper Midwest.

Reference:

¹ Blizzard Warning – NWS – March 14, 2026

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