UPDATE 2pm 11/24/25: The deceased male was 68-year-old Darwin Toof of Box Elder.
Pennington County, SD – On Sunday, November 23, 2025 at 8:51pm, Firefighters and Law Enforcement responded to 125 Westgate Road in rural Box Elder due to reports of a residential structure fire.
Upon arrival, an active fire was observed at lot 109 with heavy fire and smoke conditions. Following containment efforts by Firefighters, a deceased male was discovered inside the residence along with a deceased dog. The identity of the male will be confirmed at a later time pending next of kin notification.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the South Dakota Fire Marshall and Pennington County Sheriff’s Office.
Agencies that responded to this incident include the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, South Dakota Fire Marshall, Box Elder Police Department, Rapid City Police Department, Box Elder Volunteer Fire Department, South Dakota Highway Patrol, New Underwood Volunteer Fire Department, Rapid Valley Volunteer Fire Department, Rapid City Fire Department, Black Hawk Volunteer Fire Department, North Haines Volunteer Fire Department and Ellsworth Air Force Base Fire Department.
