Wildfire, Custer
- When
- August 24, 1:30 PM MST to August 30, 11:59 PM MST
- Where
- Custer County, 18 mi W of Custer
- Reported by
- OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
- Coordinates
- 43.678, -103.451 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Wildfire in South Dakota, August 24 to 30, 2000
A forest fire started by arson became the largest fire in recorded history of the Black Hills as high winds pushed the fire northward from Custer County into Pennington County. By the time the fire was contained in early September, 83,500 acres had been burned.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 2 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 2
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What happened
The episode as NWS UNR wrote it up.
A forest fire started by arson became the largest fire in recorded history of the Black Hills as high winds pushed the fire northward from Custer County into Pennington County. By the time the fire was contained in early September, 83,500 acres had been burned. The burn area had a very dry summer, and when the fire started, daytime relative humidities were dropping to near 10 percent each day. Very strong winds on August 26 caused the fire to grow from 4,700 acres to nearly 50,000 acres in a 24 hour period. A total of 1200 firefighters were part of the suppression and containment effort, and prevented homes from being destroyed. Three outbuildings were destroyed and two homes had minor damage.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
2 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
Wildfire, Pennington
- When
- August 26, 5:00 PM MST to August 30, 11:59 PM MST
- Where
- Pennington County, 9 mi SW of Hill City
- Reported by
- OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
- Coordinates
- 44.004, -102.824 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Wildfire
- A fire burning in wildland vegetation, with its acreage and damage where known.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Damaging Wind and Lightning Strike in Kentucky, August 24, 2000
- Lightning Strikes in Texas, August 24, 2000
- Flood and Hail in Georgia, August 24, 2000
- Damaging Wind and Lightning Strikes in Georgia, August 24, 2000
- Hail and Damaging Winds in South Carolina, August 24, 2000
- Lightning Strike in Oregon, August 24, 2000
- Lightning Strike in Virginia, August 24, 2000
- Flash Flooding in West Virginia, August 24, 2000
- Damaging Wind in Florida, August 24, 2000
- Flash Flooding in Ohio, August 24, 2000
- Flash Flood in California, August 24, 2000
- Damaging Wind in North Carolina, August 24, 2000
More
Every storm in South Dakota in 2000Every state in 2000This day in weather historyWarnings in South Dakota, August 2000
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5169785, 5169786.