Custer County Emergency Operations Center

07/27/2026

07/27/2026

***UPDATE*** Local residents can go back to their homes. If you don't live there, please stay out of the area!
If you evacuate, please come to the American Legion in Hermosa to check in.

There is an active wildfire burning at the south end of Bender Ridge Rd. Please stay out of the area and allow ground and air resources to do their work. If you live west of Bender Ridge, south of Battle Creek and east of Triple M Ranch Rd please monitor conditions and evacuate on your own if needed.

07/27/2026

****UPDATE*** There are now fires off 36 and Box Canyon. There are 11 fires in Custer County.

There is also a fire outside of Pringle. Please stay out of all these areas and do not fly drones. If drones are in the air, water support can't be!

07/24/2026

Due to rapidly increasing fire danger, the Bureau of Land Management South Dakota Field Office is implementing Stage 2 Fire Restrictions beginning July 15, 2026. These restrictions apply to all BLM lands within the South Dakota Counties of Butte, Custer, Fall River, Haakon, Harding, Lawrence Meade,....

07/24/2026

Please read for fire restrictions. It's too hot, dry and windy out to be messing around

07/07/2026

This was a close call. With as dry and windy as it is, let's not take any changes. If you see something that seems suspicious, please call it in.

Today units responded to a small wildland fire burning in the the Black Hills National Forest. While there, a unexploded homemade explosive was located. This not only endangered responders, it delayed suppression efforts as the device was dealt with.

Upon further inspection, the explosive appeared to be some type of homemade tannerite and it was made safe in a controlled explosion at a safe location.

This incident serves as a good reminder that just like like campfires and fireworks, exploding targets are illegal in the Black Hills Fire Protection District.

Despite being green, it's very dry. Please follow the law.

06/30/2026

With the recent increase in fire activity and the 4th of July holiday coming up this weekend, we would like to share a document with everyone that is a great tool for staying informed.
The document includes a QR code you can scan on your devices, and anything in blue links to resources that can help answer your questions and provide more information about fire restrictions in Custer County. Please Be Safe with Fire!

06/08/2026

As storm season is upon us, we wanted get let everyone know of the storm shelters in Custer County. Custer County Courthouse basement, City Hall basement, and Crazy Horse are all designated shelters, but only during business hours. The libraries and churches are not shelters. Luckily, tornados don't happen very often here with hail being a much bigger threat. The National Weather Service is a great website to learn more about storm preparation. Hope this helps ⛈️

05/14/2026