Update – 12/14/2017 The Custer County Sheriff’s Office announced that all evacuations and pre-evacuations in Custer County were lifted as of noon today.

12/14/2017

The Legion Lake Fire has NOT spread into Fall River County.  There are currently no evacuation or pre-evacuation notices for anywhere in Fall River County.  We will update this website with evacuation information IF this should change.

What is a pre-evacuation notice?  Technically we should all be ready to evacuate at anytime; our emergency supply kit should be packed, our list of items to put in the car should be handy, we should already know the routes to safely exit our area, and our friends and family should already know the plan.  In reality most of us are not that prepared.  A pre-evacuation notice is a reminder to BE prepared, also a reminder to be paying attention to local news and conditions.   Below is a list of things that should be in your emergency supply kit:

As you deck the halls this holiday season, be fire smart. A small fire that spreads to a Christmas tree can grow large very quickly.

• Choose trees with fresh, green needles that do not fall off when touched
• Before playing the tree in the stand cut 2″ from the base of the trunk
• Make sure the tree is at least three feed away from any heat source (fireplaces, radiators, candles, heat vents, or lights)
• Make sure the tree is not blocking an exit
• Be sure to add water daily to the tree stand

For More Christmas Tree Safety click here.

Landowners affected by the Indian Canyon Fire should seek assistance from the Farm Service Agency (FSA) at 605-745-5716 ext #2.  Acreage losses for individual landowners have been calculated and the FSA can assist in filing claims.  Below is a list of potential eligible programs available to producers affected by fire:

NAP (Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program) – A notice of loss needs to be filed within 15 days for grazing and hay. The grazing loss will likely be determined in October/November, after the end of the 2016 grazing period. A loss adjuster will need to inspect the hay acres.

ELAP (Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-Raised Fish Program) – An application for assistance could be completed for the following within 30 days:

• Bales or feed lost, including purchased or produced feed
• If you lost grazing days due to the fire, we will need your total number of livestock as of the day of the fire. At the time of application for payment, we will need further documentation including grazing days lost per pasture and head grazed per pasture.
• Livestock death losses (may be eligible through the LIP program)

LFP (Livestock Forage Disaster Program) –Loss of grazing days on federal land. Application deadline is January 30, 2017.

• We will need documentation from the forest service showing the loss of grazing.

ECP (Emergency Conservation Program) – Sign up period to be tentatively set at Thursday’s County Committee meeting.

Fence

• $1,000.00 minimum cost before cost share can be earned, including material, labor, and equipment
• The fence damaged by the fire, will need to be replaced with all new supplies
• Boundary and cross fences are eligible, including federal and state properties
• Cost share is not allowed if you plan on stretching up fence or repairing with used material
• The cost share rate is 75%, not to exceed $1.28/foot
• The fence must be built to NRCS specifications. We have copies of this available.

Debris removal

• When you tear out fence, please keep track of hours of personal or hired labor and type of equipment and equipment hours (to pull out, roll up, and haul away)

Conservation Structures

• Fire damaged water tanks, wells, solar panels, etc.

Site inspection will need to be completed prior to starting the ECP projects and after completion.

Indian Canyon Fire Update: After GPS analysis, the Indian Canyon Fire size has been set at 14,133 acres. Containment is 60%. No injuries and no structures loss have occurred. However, significant loss to range land and hay have been reported. The fire impacted approximately 12 privately owned ranches, as well as Forest Service and BLM areas.

Today’s priorities are for crews to maintain lines around the fire for containment and mop up. Resources are starting to be demobilized and the fire is expected to be downsized in the next few days.

The Incident Commander contineus to ask that all onlookers stay out of the area.  (7/19/2016  10:00am)

The fire is currently holding at 12,000 acres, but is 0% contained. Priority for today is to construct a fire line around the entire perimeter, then to assess and contain. Thunderstorms are expected again this afternoon which can either help or hinder fire suppression efforts. Please stay out of the area unless you are directly involved with the fire suppression effort.