A 20-person crew left West Virginia recently heading for Black Hills National Forest in South Dakota, an area where wildfires have been causing problems for firefighters in the area, said Leslie Fitzwater, Division of Forestry spokeswoman.
“Typically when the fires are huge out west we’ll get a call,” Fitzwater said. “It’s usually only after their own resources are overwhelmed.”
A fire sparked last week by a road grader burned over 25-acres in Custer State Park until Sunday when it was contained.
Another fire near Rapid City started Sunday morning when a resident doing landscaping work on a retaining wall caused some sparks. The fire, which was contained by Sunday afternoon, grew to about three-fourths of a square mile and caused some residents to leave their homes as a precaution, the Associated Press reported.
Fitzwater said the crew, which consists of 16 Forestry workers and four members of local volunteer fire departments, will be in South Dakota for about two weeks but could stay longer if needed.
From The Charleston Daily Mail: https://www.dailymail.com/News/201208060160