Black Hills area fire crews are issuing a zero-tolerance policy for illegal fires as the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally gets underway later this week. Most Black Hills counties have issued burn bans ahead of the Rally’s start. They include Pennington, Meade and now Lawrence County, which announced its burn ban last weekend. The bans are being put into place due to the ongoing threat wildfires pose to the health, safety and property of residents. The bans include a prohibition on campfires, charcoal grills and smoking outdoors. Stage 2 Fire Restrictions will take effect on all National Forest lands in the Bearlodge, Northern Hills, Mystic, and Hell Canyon Ranger Districts on the Black Hills National Forest in the State of South Dakota and the State of Wyoming. In Meade County, the ban automatically goes into effect when fire danger reaches the high, very high or extreme category. Under Meade County ordinance open fires are also automatically banned for the period of fourteen days prior to and seven days after the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.
Thanks Rapid City Post