If you are flying drones, we cannot fly our helicopters and planes to fight the fire.On March 10, 2025, at approximately 1015 hours, two fires were reported along BIA Route 13 on Cheyenne River Indian Reservation. These fires merged becoming the Route 13 Fire. A third fire, Northside Fire, was reported at 1049 hours. Overnight the fires merged into one Fire, Route 13 Fire. The fire behavior, conditions, and winds prompted the evacuation of Takini School and Community on March 10, 2025.
Final
Incident Command reported 100% containment on March 20, 2025. The fire suppression was complicated by dry heavy fuels (trees, logs, and shrubs) from moderate drought conditions and fire weather conditions with critical and near severe along with frequent wind shifts. The shifting wind directions kept rekindling heavy fuels. There were periods of high winds reducing visibility and testing the fireline throughout the ten days.
A Type 3 Helicopter and the South Dakota National Guard (SDNG) Type 1 Blackhawk Helicopters were available to address hot spots and map the fire perimeter. The SDNG Type 1 helicopters dropped 20 buckets of water on the fire on Thursday, March 13, 2025. At 660 gallons a bucket, this was approximately 26,000 gallons of water used to address the slop over. The Type 3 helicopter used was more agile and carries a 140-gallon bucket. It was able to Remember to keep drones grounded during wildland fire event because IF YOU ARE FLYING THEY CANNOT!
The Incident Command would like to thank the Takini and surrounding Communities for their support.
A Burned Area Emergency Response assessment is being done, working with other Agencies and personnel to determine future needs.
Enning Volunteer Fire Department provided initial response joined by BIA Wildland Fire resources along with Dupree, Faith, Isabel, Timber Lake, and Eagle Butte Volunteer Fire Departments. Additional resources were ordered by High Plains Zone Fire Management Officer at the request of the Incident Commander to assist in the Type 3 Incident Command.
Numerous other Volunteer Fire Departments assisted Cheyenne River on Monday and Tuesday. The fire had at least 135 personnel documented at one point. Thank you to all.