12 FDs battle S.D. 3-alarm commercial structure fire

Firefighters from a dozen fire departments across three counties fought a three-alarm fire in Rapid Valley

February 02, 2024 08:54 AM

Rapid City Journal

RAPID VALLEY, S.D. — A structure fire in Rapid Valley destroyed a large commercial building in the early morning hours Monday.

The Rapid Valley Volunteer Fire Department responded about 1:30 a.m. to a reported structure fire on the 5400 block of Old Folsom Road.

“First arriving firefighters found a free burning fire, with heavy fire and smoke conditions coming from a commercial structure with fire spreading to adjacent structures (and) infrastructure,” the Rapid Valley Volunteer Fire Department said in a release Monday.

The fire eventually escalated to three alarms with firefighters responding from a three-county area, facing darkness, and lacking a suitable water supply, firefighters successfully contained the fire with one firefighter receiving minor injuries, Rapid Valley Fire said.

No injuries to civilians or domestic animals were reported.

Agencies responding to the fire included Pennington County 911, Rapid Valley Volunteer Fire Department, Box Elder Volunteer Fire Department, North Haines Volunteer Fire Department, Black Hawk Volunteer Fire Department, the Rapid City Fire Department & Ambulance Service, Battle Creek Fire Department, Rockerville Volunteer Fire Department, Johnson Siding Volunteer Fire Department, Hill City Volunteer Fire Department, Whispering Pines Volunteer Fire Department, Fairburn Volunteer Fire Department, Ellsworth Airforce Base Fire Department, Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, Pennington County Emergency Management, Pennington County Highway Department, Black Hills Energy, Montana Dakota Utilities, the South Dakota Fire Marshal’s Office and the Red Cross serving Central and Western South Dakota.