Black Hawk, SD – A structure fire in the 9000 block of Willow Street in unincorporated Meade County escalated to a two-alarm response Wednesday evening, drawing a significant contingent of emergency personnel.
The Black Hawk Volunteer Fire Department was the first to arrive on the scene, encountering a well-involved fire with heavy smoke emanating from a single-story residence. Flames had already extended into the ceiling and roof assembly, prompting incident command to immediately request a second alarm to bring in additional resources.
Firefighters launched a rapid attack, successfully containing the blaze to the structure of origin and preventing its spread to neighboring buildings, infrastructure, and other property improvements. However, the fire did extend to nearby trees and grass before crews were able to bring it under control.
Fortunately, no injuries were reported to civilians, firefighters, or domestic animals. The American Red Cross Serving Central and Western South Dakota, along with family and neighbors, are providing assistance to the affected residents.
A large multi-agency response underscored the severity of the incident. Assisting the Black Hawk Volunteer Fire Department and Black Hawk Fire Corp were units from Piedmont Fire and Ambulance Service, North Haines Volunteer Fire Department, Rapid City Fire Department, Box Elder Volunteer Fire Department, United States Air Force 28th Bomb Wing/Ellsworth Air Force Base Fire Department, Doty Volunteer Fire Department, Whispering Pines Volunteer Fire Department, and Rapid Valley Volunteer Fire Department. Also providing crucial support were Pennington County 911, Meade County Dispatch, the Meade County Sheriff’s Office, Meade County Emergency Management, Black Hills Energy, and Montana Dakota Utilities.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
