Coyote Flats Fire near containment as critical fire danger hits Black Hills, Wyoming counties

RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) – The grass is starting to return in the Black Hills, but the damage left behind by last week’s wildfire is still visible beneath the surface. The Coyote Flats Fire is now almost completely contained, but fire officials say the work for crews who battled the flames is far from finished.

“It’s been a long week,” said Gail Schmidt, fire chief for the Rockerville Volunteer Fire Department. Schmidt said firefighters worked the Coyote Flats Fire for multiple days as the blaze forced hundreds of people to leave their homes.

Schmidt also warned the timing is concerning.

“It’s early,” she said. “It’s early — and that’s the more concerning part. We haven’t even hit summer yet.”

Some of the same crews, Schmidt said, have moved from the Black Hills to a second wildfire — the Qury (pronounced “Koo-RAY”) Fire. That fire has burned nearly 9,200 acres and was holding at 70% containment as of Monday.

Between multiple wildfires and routine emergency calls, Schmidt said the pace doesn’t slow down.

“The world does not stop just because there was a fire,” she said. “Life continues. We still have our day jobs that we need to go take care of.”

Another challenge arrives Wednesday, with critical fire danger forecast across the Black Hills and into parts of Wyoming, including Sheridan, Campbell, Crook and Weston counties. Forecast conditions include wind gusts up to 40 mph and humidity as low as 12%.

Schmidt said she believes fire lines are in good shape, but she’s watching the weather closely after recent high-wind events.

“Saturday night, 50 mile an hour winds — that was multiple days ago, and there’s been a lot of work done since,” she said. “I personally am pretty confident that we’re going to be able to hold this fire through today.”

While spring is typically the region’s wetter season — which can help reduce fire behavior — Schmidt urged residents not to become complacent as wildfire season ramps up.

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