Free Republic

Firefighters could face rough day By Journal Staff DEADWOOD - The Grizzly Gulch Fire grew overnight to 9,000 acres Wednesday, and residents of Boulder Canyon who had been allowed to return home Tuesday evening were re-evacuated during the middle of the night. Residents on the south side of Radio Tower Road were given a mandatory evacuation order at 3 a.m. Wednesday due to unexpected increased fire activity in the area. At the same time, residents along the south side of U.S. Highway 14A in Boulder Canyon were asked to voluntarily evacuate, according to a press release from the South Dakota...

Deadwood reopens; fire keeps Lead residents out By Denise Ross, Journal Staff Writer DEADWOOD -- The historic city of Deadwood reopened at 8 p.m. Monday after a wildfire forced its total evacuation Saturday afternoon. Residents of Lead, many of whom evacuated Sunday afternoon, were not allowed to go home due to concerns that the Grizzly Gulch Fire could once again threaten neighbors in the south part of town. "We really just need room to move," Lead Mayor Tom Nelson said, explaining that firefighters were more worried about their ability to respond quickly than about structures burning. "If the winds shift,...

Grizzly Gulch Fire grows to 6,200 acres By Denise Ross, Journal Staff Writer LEAD-- A combined 684 federal, state and local personnel continued to fight the two-day-old Grizzly Gulch Fire Monday, as a federal Type 1 Interagency Management Team took command of the fire. Federal fire information officer Maj. Mark Johnston said the fire grew to 6,200 acres overnight and was 10 percent contained by mid-day Monday. The fire remains the Rocky Mountain Region's number one priority, Johnston said. Three homes have been destroyed by the fire but the occupants were not injured, Lawrence County Sheriff Rick Mowell told the...

Lead flees flare ups By Dan Daly, Journal Staff Writer Residents in a broad swath of Lead were asked to voluntarily evacuate their homes late Sunday when the Grizzly Gulch Fire flared up along its western edge. The new evacuation involved areas south of Lead's Main Street and the areas north of Main Street that are east of Washington Street, Brenda Bower, information officer with the U.S. Forest Service, said. That's about two-thirds of the city. Gov. Bill Janklow ordered the evacuation Sunday afternoon. The new evacuees joined thousands of people from Deadwood and rural areas east and south who...

Grizzly Gulch Fire surges to 4,500 acresBy Journal staff and AP staffThe 4,500-acre Grizzly Gulch Fire that burned Saturday on the edges of Deadwood was 30 percent contained Sunday, as the relatively small crew of about 200 firefighters managed to save the northern Black Hills gambling town. "When I first drove in here, I thought we were going to lose a lot of Deadwood, and it's because of you, we didn't," South Dakota Wildland Fire Coordinator Joe Lowe told firefighters Sunday morning. Officials ordered residents, casino guests and others to evacuate Saturday afternoon. However, not every one complied in what...

Growing fire hits 700 acres, threatens DeadwoodBy Journal Staff and APDEADWOOD -- A ridge-running forest fire burned Saturday on the edges of Deadwood, threatening but not entering the northern Black Hills gambling town.Officials ordered residents, casino guests and others to evacuate Saturday afternoon. However, not every one complied in what residents said was chaos amid smoke and slurry bombers overhead.There were no reports of injuries.The timber fire was burning over more than 1,000 acres. An accurate size estimate was not available at 8:30 p.m., Beth Adam of the state Wildlands Fire Suppression Division said.The fire's cause was not immediately known,...

Tuesday's New York Post Page Six.comWE HEAR..ColumnTHAT CNN has set up a secret panel to evaluate all on-air talent with an eye toward axing the deadwood.Continue reading Page Six..