At least three wildfires in western South Dakota have prompted the closure of the Mount Rushmore National Memorial and forced the evacuation of about 400 homes, the authorities said on Monday. One of the fires, just west of Rapid City in Pennington County, was reported Monday morning, officials said. About 250 firefighters were working to contain the blaze, which as of Monday night was estimated to have burned about 1,900 acres. No injuries were reported, but one home and two other structures were destroyed, a fire official said. “This is a very active and dangerous scene,” the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office posted to Facebook.

Source: New York Times March 30, 2021 10:07 UTC