Escaped burn pile leads to 42-acre fire

The first significant fire of the year burned an area 42 acres in size on Monday afternoon.

According to Fire Warden Charlie Harrison, a three-week-old burn pile on private land a mile to the west of Aladdin reignited at around 1 p.m. and took several hours to mop up.

"It smoldered for a while and then got caught up in the wind yesterday," he says.

Conditions are significantly dryer than usual at this time, he says, but the lack of moisture and winds can lead to dangerous situations.

Firefighters from Crook County, Aladdin, Beulah, Sundance and the Black Hills National Forest responded to the...