A blaze dubbed the Coyote Flats fire was seen from Rapid City in South Dakota on Wednesday and evacuations were ordered for areas affected. As per Watch Duty the blaze was at 30 acres at the time of writing.
An evacuation was ordered for Neck Yoke and Coyote Flats areas too. “WILDFIRE WARNING for neck yoke & coyote flats area. GO NOW! People in the area should LEAVE by moving away from fire and smoke. People who do not leave now could be trapped, injured, or killed,” Pennington County Emergency Management said as per Watch Duty.
The fire is at the 23800 Block of Pebble Ln, Rapid City. A reporter said there is direct impact to Coyote Flats Rd.
Rapid City fire department also issued a statement saying “Anyone in the GO NOW area must leave immediately. Do not delay. Travel away from smoke and fire and follow directions from emergency personnel. The fire is very active, and all available resources are currently engaged. Firefighters and emergency vehicles are working throughout the area … please use caution if you are evacuating.
“Avoid the area. This allows crews to operate safely and effectively. Media staging location: Rockerville Station 1 We will provide updates as more information becomes available,” they added, sharing a photo of the blaze from afar.
People shared scary visuals.
Coyote Flats fire: Visuals emerge
“Outside Rapid City, South Dakota. The fire is estimated to be 50 acres and active, local residents nearby asked to evacuate the fire area. Currently it’s 72 degrees in Rapid City with 26% RH. There is a chance the Qury Fire might be able kick some resources over,” one person wrote.
“New fire start southwest of Rapid City, SD near Rockerville #CoyoteFlatsFire — periodic bursts of black smoke amongst the veg smoke from our tower cam,” another added.
“Looks like a new wildfire burning off Neck Yoke Road, east of Rockerville. There are structures threatened at this time and evacuations are taking place,” a local reporter shared on Facebook.
A map of the area impacted was also shared online.
“Coyote Flats Fire Update!,” the reporter wrote sharing the evacuation order.
A further update from the Pennington County Public Safety hub read “Livestock can be sheltered at the Central States Fairgrounds. Neck Yoke Rd. is closed at Spring Creek Rd. and south Rockerville Rd. Local residents with livestock concerns can speak with law enforcement at the two road closure locations. If safe, a law enforcement escort will be provided to retrieve livestock from a known and specific location.”
