U.S. Sen. John Thune is requesting federal disaster aid for ranchers affected by a large prairie fire in western South Dakota that has destroyed buildings and killed livestock.
Thune wrote to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, asking for immediate aid to ranchers affected by the Cottonwood Fire. Thune notes that many of the ranchers were hit by a winter storm three years ago.
The fire started Sunday afternoon east of Wall and is now estimated to have burned 65 square miles. The Rapid City Journal reports that officials used GPS mapping to make the estimate, which is up substantially from an earlier figure of 48 square miles.
Authorities say the blaze was human-caused but they’re still investigating how it started.
It has scorched private land and part of the Buffalo Gap National Grassland. About 300 firefighters from 10 western counties fought the blaze at its peak.
The fire destroyed numerous rural buildings, though no homes. It also killed 137 farm animals and injured even more. There were no reports of people being injured.
Topics Agribusiness
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