Black Hills National Forest

US Forest Service
Black Hills National Forest
1019 N. 5th Street
Custer, SD 57730
605-673-9200

Telephone for the
Hearing Impaired
605-673-9227

News Release

USDA Forest Service

Black Hills National Forest

Contact: Brenda Bowen (605) 393-8055, or email us at r2 blackhills webinfo@fs.fed.us

CAMP 5 FIRE ACTIVITY UPDATE

RAPID CITY, SD: APRIL 18, 2005, 4 p.m.

Fire Size: Estimated at 775 acres

Containment: 60%. Estimate full containment Tuesday, April 19,2005 at 8:00 p.m.

Location: Boulder Canyon south of Highway 14A, approximately 5 miles east of Deadwood.

Date Started: April 17, 2005 at 4:30 p.m.

Cause: Under investigation

Personnel: Approximately 150. The Black Hills Type III overhead team assumed command of the fire on Sunday, April 17. Joe Lowe and Terry Tompkins are the incident commanders under unified command.

Resources include: Personnel from the National Park Service, Forest Service, State of South Dakota, Bureau of Indian Affairs, several volunteer fire departments and county resources. Two Single Engine Air Tankers and two Blackhawks were available today and two Type I helicopters have been ordered.

Current Situation: The Camp Five Fire is burning in timber and thinning slash in an area with limited access. Cooler temperatures, higher humidity, and light winds aided firefighters in their suppression efforts today. Crews made great progress constructing fire line and conducting burn out operations. Two Single Engine Air Tankers and two Black Hawks were available but were not used due to the burn out.

Crews will work on tying in the existing fire lines and finishing burn out operations. Favorable weather is expected to continue throughout the night with a chance of precipitation.