Ceremony Honoring North Carolina Airmen Killed Fighting Fire

RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) - A memorial ceremony is honoring four North Carolina airmen killed last summer when their plane crashed while fighting a wildfire in South Dakota's Black Hills.

Monday marks the one-year anniversary of the crash.

The 10 a.m. MDT ceremony is dedicating an interpretive site seven miles north of Edgemont. Four members of the six-person air crew died there when strong winds out of a thunderstorm caused the air tanker to crash into a ridge top.

Officials with the South Dakota National Guard and the Black Hills National Forest have been building a parking area and making room for interpretive signs to tell the story.

Black Hills National Forest supervisor Craig Bobzien says the memorial site will allow people to visit, pause amd reflect on the airmen's selfless service.

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.