More South Dakota Firefighters Help with Western Wildfires

RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) — More South Dakota firefighters are heading out to help fight wildfires in Western states.

Five Rapid City Fire Department firefighters left Wednesday and Thursday for Washington state. Rapid City Fire Chief Mike Maltaverne says the department currently has 19 employees on fires out West, working on a rotational basis.

Sioux Falls Fire Rescue on Sunday sent a vehicle and three firefighters to help battle blazes in Idaho.

Massive wildfires raging in western states have charred thousands of square miles of forest, destroyed hundreds of homes and killed several firefighters, including Dave Ruhl of Rapid City, a firefighter with the Black Hills National Forest.

The fires have taxed resources and led officials to seek help from other states and countries.

Source: More South Dakota Firefighters Help with Western Wildfires