Mount Rushmore closed, houses evacuated as South Dakota wildfires spread

Three separate wildfires spread through the Black Hills in South Dakota this week, leading to the closure of Mount Rushmore and the evacuation of hundreds of homes Monday.  

One of the fires, along Schroeder Road west of Rapid City, has spread 1.5 square miles, burnt 1,900 acres and was “still moving” and “zero percent contained” as of Monday night, Rob Powell, the incident commander for the Schroeder Fire, said, according to the Rapid City Journal. 

That fire led to the evacuation of between 400 and 500 residents as hundreds of firefighters fought the flames as winds reached between 50 mph and 72 mph in Rapid City. Powell said the blaze destroyed at least two homes and several outbuildings. 

UPDATE: Fire Officials have opened Schroeder Rd. to residents. All other evacuation area, including Westberry Trails remain closed through the night.https://t.co/wtfXvvKUQx pic.twitter.com/Oc7uohMpw9

— Pennington County SO (@PennCoSheriff) March 30, 2021

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) traveled to Rapid City and said during a press conference that the Schroeder Road fire originated on private property, noting there have “been losses, and that is tragic,” according to the Rapid City Journal. Officials have not reported any injuries. 

Today’s Schroeder Fire Pictures pic.twitter.com/K7LSPclKiH

— Johnson Siding Volunteer Fire Department (@JohnsonSidingFD) March 30, 2021

Aerial surveillance of the SchrosdervRoad fire. Lots of smoke and high winds. Over 800 acres burned already. pic.twitter.com/ORA7lrBMQc

— Pennington County SO (@PennCoSheriff) March 29, 2021

Another two fires struck southwest of Rapid City, with one encompassing 75 acres and the other 20 acres, The Associated Press reported. These two fires led to the shutdown of Mount Rushmore National Memorial and surrounding roads through at least Wednesday.