SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — A wildfire that sparked Saturday afternoon in the Black Hills between Hill City and the Black Elk Peak Wilderness Area has grown to 91 acres as of Monday morning.
The U.S. Forest Service notes that the fire, now 40% contained, is currently burning along the area of Palmer Creek Road, and while the dimensions and exact area of the fire are not yet confirmed, we can help you visualize the size of the fire according to the 91-acre estimate given.
91 acres is a large area, but it can be a difficult one to envision without knowing the shape that it takes. For instance, 91 acres can cover a distance of nearly 20 miles if its width is confined to the two northbound driving lanes of I-29, or it can cover the area of 20 city blocks, as it does if you cast the area in the shape of a square over downtown Rapid City.
Or a similar area if you cast it over downtown Sioux Falls.
Here is the area of the fire over Hill City, which lies about three miles northeast of the actual fire, where it would cover a good portion of the entire town.
Its area is also large enough to envelop the entirety of the state capitol and portions of downtown Pierre.
To compare it to something many South Dakotans will be more familiar with, a football field is roughly 1.32 acres in area, meaning that the area the fire is covering as of Monday morning is roughly that of 69 football fields.
