Two wildfires near Rapid City, South Dakota, forced the closure of Mount Rushmore on Monday, as well as the evacuation of hundreds of residents.
The Schroeder Road fire is burning west of Rapid City, and has scorched around 1,000 acres. Roughly 250 firefighters are battling the blaze, which is driven by winds of 50 to 72 mph. Fire officials said two homes and several outbuildings have been destroyed, with 400 residents evacuated. This is a "very active and dangerous scene," the Pennington County Sheriff's Office said in a press release, and people are being asked to stay away from the area.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
The mental health crisis affecting vetsUnder The Radar Death of Hampshire vet highlights mental health issues plaguing the industry
-
The Onion is having a very ironic laugh with InfowarsThe Explainer The satirical newspaper is purchasing the controversial website out of bankruptcy
-
'Rahmbo, back from Japan, will be looking for a job? Really?'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Biden visits Amazon, says climate legacy irreversibleSpeed Read Nobody can reverse America's 'clean energy revolution,' said the president, despite the incoming Trump administration's promises to dismantle climate policies
-
At least 95 dead in Spain flash floodsSpeed Read Torrential rainfall caused the country's worst flooding since 1996
-
Cuba roiled by island-wide blackouts, Hurricane OscarSpeed Read The country's power grid collapsed for the fourth time in just two days
-
Wildlife populations drop a 'catastrophic' 73%Speed Read The decline occurred between 1970 and 2020
-
Floridians flee oncoming Hurricane MiltonSpeed Read The hurricane is expected to cause widespread damage in the state
-
Unchecked wildfire sears Southern CaliforniaSpeed Read Firefighting crews continue to battle wildfires that have scorched thousands of acres in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties amid heat wave
-
The economic cost of the wildfire seasonThe Explainer Wildfires are exacting an 'eye-popping' financial toll for communities in fire-prone areas and beyond
-
Firefighters battle enormous California wildfireSpeed Read The Park Fire in Northern California was larger than the city of Los Angeles
