10/13/2026
Some history for today ... and yesterday.
🔥 THE HISTORY OF BLACK HILLS NATIONAL FOREST — BURNOVERS & WILDFIRE FATALITIES 🔥
📍 Rocky Mountain Region — Region 2, South Dakota & Wyoming
🕒 Updated October 9, 2026
The Black Hills National Forest rises above the Great Plains of western South Dakota and northeastern Wyoming. Its steep timbered slopes, narrow canyons, extensive ponderosa pine forests, grasslands, beetle-killed timber, and rapidly changing weather have challenged firefighters for generations.
Its wildfire history reaches back to the Civilian Conservation Corps, when young men fought fires with hand tools, limited transportation, and primitive communications. It continues through the modern era of hotshots, engines, airtankers, and emergency fire shelters.
Our research has uncovered firefighter entrapments, shelter deployments, serious burn injuries, aviation fatalities, and the sacrifices of firefighters serving both at home and on distant assignments.
What follows is the best documented history we have assembled to date.
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🌲 THE BLACK HILLS FIRE ENVIRONMENT — TOPOGRAPHY, WEATHER & FUELS
⛰️ TOPOGRAPHY — MOUNTAINS ABOVE THE GREAT PLAINS
The Black Hills are an isolated mountain system rising above the surrounding prairie.
Black Elk Peak reaches approximately 7,242 feet. The surrounding landscape includes steep ridges, narrow drainages, rocky canyons, broad plateaus, and timbered slopes.
These elevation changes create significant differences in vegetation, temperature, relative humidity, and wind exposure.
Steep slopes can accelerate uphill fire spread as flames preheat fuels above the advancing fire.
Narrow, fuel-filled drainages can channel heat and wind, creating dangerous chimney effects.
Saddles and ridgelines can accelerate or redirect winds, while south- and west-facing slopes often experience greater solar heating and earlier fuel drying.
Limited road access and narrow mountain roads can complicate engine operations, structure protection, and emergency withdrawal.
🌬️ WEATHER — WIND SHIFTS, THUNDERSTORMS & DROUGHT
The Black Hills experience a complex interaction between Great Plains weather systems and local mountain weather.
Strong pressure gradients, frontal passages, thunderstorms, and terrain-driven winds can produce rapid changes in fire behavior.
Thunderstorm outflows can abruptly reverse wind direction and turn a fire’s flank into a new head fire.
Dry lightning can ignite multiple fires while providing little beneficial precipitation.
Daytime upslope winds and nighttime drainage winds influence fire movement, although strong regional winds can overwhelm these patterns.
Low relative humidity, high temperatures, and prolonged drought can rapidly dry fine fuels and increase the availability of heavier fuels.
The 1939 McVey Fire reminds us that lightning itself can be deadly to firefighters.
🌲 FUELS — PONDEROSA PINE, GRASSLANDS & BEETLE-KILLED TIMBER
Ponderosa pine dominates much of the forest, with white spruce, aspen, shrubs, grasses, and heavy dead-and-down woody fuels also present.
Dense pine stands with ladder fuels can support torching and crown-fire development.
Cured grasses can carry fast-moving surface fires across open slopes and into adjacent timber.
Mountain pine beetle mortality creates standing snag hazards. Over time, falling trees can increase surface fuel loading and complicate suppression operations.
Heavy woody debris can sustain burning and make control-line construction and mop-up more difficult.
Beetle-killed stands do not all burn alike. Fire behavior depends on the stage of mortality, remaining canopy structure, surface fuels, weather, and fuel moisture.
🔥 HISTORICAL FIRE REGIMES
Fire-scar research shows that many Black Hills ponderosa pine communities historically experienced recurring surface fires.
These fires often reduced grasses, needles, seedlings, and smaller vegetation while allowing mature ponderosa pines to survive.
Logging, grazing, settlement, and decades of fire exclusion altered forest structure and fuel arrangements.
In some locations, increased tree density and fuel continuity created greater potential for intense crown-fire behavior.
The lesson is clear: When topography, weather, and fuels align, a relatively small wildfire can become a rapidly developing, life-threatening incident.
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🔥 1931 — ROCHFORD FIRE
MAJOR HISTORICAL WILDFIRE
The Rochford Fire burned approximately 20,934 acres.
Firefighters operated with hand tools, limited transportation, and rudimentary communications.
Wind, timber fuels, difficult terrain, and long distances between crews presented substantial suppression challenges.
Our research has not established a confirmed firefighter fatality or specific burnover associated with this incident.
Additional early Forest Service records remain a research priority.
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🕯️ 1939 — McVEY FIRE
FIREFIGHTER FATALITY — LIGHTNING STRIKE
On July 12, 1939, tragedy struck firefighters battling the massive McVey Fire near Hill City, South Dakota.
The fire burned approximately 20,700 acres and required a large suppression force, including Civilian Conservation Corps personnel.
Among those firefighters was:
Ervin Martin Voegele, 21
Civilian Conservation Corps
Roscoe, South Dakota
South Dakota CCC Museum records identify his 1939 assignment as Company 791 at Lightning Creek Camp F-14.
Ervin was struck and killed by lightning while serving on the McVey Fire.
He was only 21 years old.
Historical CCC records preserve an extraordinary account involving fellow CCC member Raymond Joseph Kokesh.
Kokesh reportedly carried Ervin’s body approximately three-quarters of a mile from the fireline to an awaiting ambulance.
Our additional research uncovered a historical spelling discrepancy.
CCC Museum and firefighter memorial records identify him as Ervin, while a separate obituary index records Erwin.
There is also a discrepancy between historical sources concerning his CCC company number.
His original federal enrollee file has not yet been examined, so those details remain open for archival confirmation.
Ervin’s death was a lightning-related operational fatality, not a burnover.
His story reminds us that wildland firefighting hazards extend far beyond advancing flames.
We honor Ervin Martin Voegele and recognize Raymond Kokesh for bringing his fellow firefighter from the fireline.
A separate memorial photograph honoring Ervin will accompany this forest history when published.
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🔥 1959 — DEADWOOD FIRE
HISTORICAL WILDFIRE
The Deadwood Fire burned approximately 4,500 acres in the northern Black Hills.
Historical newspapers preserve accounts and photographs of the suppression effort.
Steep terrain, ponderosa pine fuels, and limited access created significant challenges for firefighters.
Our research has not established a confirmed firefighter burnover or operational fatality associated with this incident.
Additional historical accounts remain welcome.
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🔥 1985 — FLINT HILL FIRE
MAJOR WILDFIRE
The Flint Hill Fire burned approximately 21,746 acres in the southern Black Hills.
The incident illustrates the potential for substantial wildfire growth when dry fuels, wind, and terrain combine.
No specific firefighter fatality or entrapment has been verified in our research.
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🔥 1988 — GALENA FIRE
ENGINE-CREW ENTRAPMENT / FIREFIGHTER INJURIES
In July 1988, the Galena Fire burned approximately 18,000 acres in the southern Black Hills, primarily within Custer State Park.
Contemporary newspaper reporting described an engine crew operating near Mount Coolidge that radioed it had become surrounded by advancing fire.
The fire had moved rapidly uphill toward their position.
Approximately ten minutes later, the crew reported hail falling as thunderstorms moved through the area.
Historical reports documented nine firefighter injuries during the broader incident.
Our research has not established a firefighter fatality from the reported engine entrapment or confirmed that the crew deployed fire shelters.
The incident demonstrates how rapidly changing weather and steep terrain can create dangerous conditions for engine crews.
Because the fire occurred primarily within Custer State Park, it is included as a supplemental regional incident rather than an on-forest burnover.
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🔥 2000 — JASPER FIRE
FIREFIGHTER ENTRAPMENT / FIRE SHELTER DEPLOYMENT
On August 24, 2000, firefighters experienced an entrapment during the Jasper Fire on the Black Hills National Forest.
The fire eventually burned approximately 83,500 acres, becoming one of the largest wildfires in the forest’s recorded history.
During suppression operations, rapidly changing fire behavior threatened firefighters and compromised escape options.
Historical incident records describe emergency survival measures involving fire shelters and natural terrain features.
The Jasper Fire also became an important subject of research into forest structure, topography, and fire severity.
Research found that approximately 25 percent of the burned area experienced low-severity fire, 48 percent moderate severity, and 27 percent high severity.
Dense stands were more likely to experience high-severity fire, although terrain and vegetation structure produced substantial variation.
The Jasper Fire demonstrated how fuel continuity, slope, wind, and stand density can influence extreme fire behavior.
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🔥 2007 — ALABAUGH CANYON FIRE
TWO FIREFIGHTERS ENTRAPPED / FIRE SHELTER DEPLOYMENT
On July 8, 2007, two Black Hills National Forest firefighters were conducting burnout operations near a residence during the Alabaugh Canyon Fire near Hot Springs.
At approximately 12:20 a.m., intense crown-fire activity developed near their position.
The firefighters were overtaken by rapidly advancing fire.
They deployed a single fire shelter.
Both survived but sustained burn injuries.
The incident illustrates the hazards of nighttime firing operations, structure protection, and rapidly changing crown-fire behavior.
It reinforces the importance of maintaining escape routes, recognizing trigger points, and disengaging when a structure or assignment becomes non-defensible.
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🕯️ 2011 — COAL CANYON FIRE
FATAL BURNOVER — ONE FIREFIGHTER KILLED
On August 11, 2011, firefighters were conducting initial attack on the Coal Canyon Fire in the Black Hills.
Fire behavior intensified, and escape options deteriorated.
Firefighters attempting to withdraw were overtaken by rapidly advancing flames.
Two firefighters became trapped in an engine.
One escaped.
Trampus Haskvitz did not survive.
Two other firefighters suffered serious burn injuries, while two additional firefighters sustained minor burns.
A Serious Accident Investigation examined fire behavior, communications, tactical decisions, and the circumstances surrounding the fatal entrapment.
The Coal Canyon Fire demonstrates how quickly initial-attack conditions can deteriorate when fire intensity increases and escape routes become compromised.
It also reinforces a critical lesson:
An engine is not a substitute for an adequate safety zone.
We honor Trampus Haskvitz and recognize the firefighters who survived this devastating incident.
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✈️ 2012 — WHITE DRAW FIRE
MAFFS C-130 CRASH — FOUR FATALITIES
On July 1, 2012, a North Carolina Air National Guard C-130 equipped with a Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System was supporting wildfire suppression operations near Edgemont, South Dakota.
The aircraft encountered severe weather and crashed.
Four airmen were killed.
Lt. Col. Paul K. Mikeal, 42
Maj. Joseph M. McCormick, 36
Maj. Ryan S. David, 35
Senior Master Sgt. Robert S. Cannon, 50
Two additional crew members survived with serious injuries.
The accident investigation identified severe thunderstorm conditions and a microburst as contributing factors.
Thunderstorm downdrafts, wind shear, and rapidly changing atmospheric conditions present significant hazards to low-level firefighting aircraft.
A memorial near Edgemont honors the four fallen airmen.
This was a regional aviation tragedy, not a burnover fatality.
We honor these four airmen and their families.
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🕯️ 2015 — FROG FIRE
BLACK HILLS FIREFIGHTER KILLED ON ASSIGNMENT AWAY FROM HOME
Although his death occurred outside the Black Hills National Forest, one firefighter deserves special recognition.
David “Dave” Ruhl, 38
Black Hills National Forest
Engine Captain / Acting Battalion Chief
On July 30, 2015, Ruhl was assigned to the Frog Fire on the Modoc National Forest in northeastern California.
While scouting the fire, he encountered rapidly changing conditions.
Thunderstorm outflow winds contributed to rapid fire growth.
Ruhl became entrapped and was killed.
His death profoundly affected the Black Hills National Forest and the national wildland firefighting community.
The incident demonstrates that reconnaissance assignments require the same attention to LCES, communications, escape routes, and safety zones as direct suppression operations.
Because Dave was a Black Hills National Forest firefighter, his sacrifice remains part of this forest’s history.
His death is honored here but is not counted as an on-forest fatality.
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🔥 ADDITIONAL HISTORICAL FIRES UNDER INVESTIGATION
Our research has identified additional major wildfires deserving further examination for undocumented firefighter entrapments, burn injuries, shelter deployments, and operational fatalities.
1931 — Rochford Fire: Approximately 20,934 acres.
1959 — Deadwood Fire: Historical newspaper and archival records located.
1985 — Flint Hill Fire: Approximately 21,746 acres.
1990 — Cicero Peak Fire: Approximately 14,518 acres.
2002 — Battle Creek Fire: Approximately 13,495 acres.
2002 — Grizzly Gulch Fire: Approximately 11,589 acres.
2012 — Oil Creek Fire: Approximately 61,000 acres in northeastern Wyoming.
These are historical research leads, not confirmed additional firefighter fatalities or burnovers.
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📊 WHAT THE HISTORICAL RECORD CURRENTLY SHOWS
Our research has identified seven documented operational and aviation fatalities associated with selected Black Hills National Forest and regional wildfire incidents.
🕯️ 1939 — Ervin Martin Voegele
McVey Fire — lightning-related operational fatality.
🕯️ 2011 — Trampus Haskvitz
Coal Canyon Fire — fatal burnover.
🕯️ 2012 — Lt. Col. Paul K. Mikeal
White Draw Fire — aviation fatality.
🕯️ 2012 — Maj. Joseph M. McCormick
White Draw Fire — aviation fatality.
🕯️ 2012 — Maj. Ryan S. David
White Draw Fire — aviation fatality.
🕯️ 2012 — Senior Master Sgt. Robert S. Cannon
White Draw Fire — aviation fatality.
🕯️ 2015 — David “Dave” Ruhl
Frog Fire — fatal burnover while assigned away from his home forest.
These seven deaths span different jurisdictions and fatality categories.
They are not seven on-forest burnover fatalities.
The White Draw aviation tragedy occurred in the greater Black Hills region, and Dave Ruhl was killed on the Modoc National Forest.
This preliminary accounting is not a comprehensive total of every firefighter death associated with the Black Hills.
Significant documented entrapment history includes the 1988 Galena engine incident, the 2000 Jasper Fire, the 2007 Alabaugh Canyon Fire, and the fatal 2011 Coal Canyon burnover.
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🇺🇸 REMEMBERING THE FALLEN — LEARNING FROM THE PAST
From a young CCC firefighter killed by lightning in 1939, to firefighters trapped by advancing flames, to military airmen lost while supporting suppression operations, the Black Hills history reflects the many hazards of wildland firefighting.
The tools and technology have changed dramatically.
The fundamental hazards have not.
Terrain. Weather. Fuels. Wind shifts. Crown fire. Hazard trees. Communications. Escape routes. Safety zones. Situational awareness.
The Black Hills demonstrate that fire behavior is not controlled by a single factor.
It is the interaction of topography, weather, and fuels that determines how a wildfire develops.
A wind shift can turn a flank into a head fire.
A steep drainage can become a chimney.
A grass fire can accelerate into timber.
A surface fire can transition into a crown fire.
And an escape route that was viable minutes earlier can disappear.
Understanding these relationships is fundamental to firefighter survival.
We honor those who died by remembering their names.
We honor those who survived by studying their experiences.
And we honor future firefighters by passing those lessons forward.
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🔥 SAFETY MESSAGE FROM RETIRED DIVISION CHIEF WILL SPYRISON
Throughout my career on the Angeles National Forest, one lesson remained constant: understanding fire behavior is fundamental to firefighter survival.
Topography, weather, and fuels are never independent of one another. When they align, fire behavior can change faster than firefighters can react.
Know your fire environment. Maintain LCES. Continually evaluate your escape routes and safety zones. Recognize changing winds, thunderstorm outflows, crown-fire potential, and the dangers of operating in steep terrain.
Establish trigger points before conditions deteriorate. Communicate clearly. Speak up when something does not look right. And never hesitate to disengage when the situation becomes unsafe.
No acre of timber, structure, piece of equipment, or tactical objective is worth a firefighter’s life.
These histories are not simply about remembering the past. They are about protecting the firefighters who will stand on tomorrow’s firelines.
If you have firsthand knowledge, photographs, historical reports, names, or corrections involving burnovers, entrapments, or wildfire fatalities associated with the Black Hills National Forest, please share them. These are living histories, and every verified contribution helps preserve the lessons and honor those who served.
Firefighters learn. Legacies live on.
Honoring the past. Protecting the future.
Stay alert. Stay situationally aware. Make sound decisions. Come home safely.
— Retired Division Chief Will Spyrison
Angeles National Forest
InciNotes Administrator
