South Dakota Blaze Curtailed; Yellowstone Park Still Besieged

Firefighters on Friday reported they were near containment of a devastating blaze blamed on arson near Rapid City, S. D., but Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming was still besieged by one of the worst fires in history.

Crews in Yellowstone, where about 93,000 acres have burned, on Friday were igniting dead timber and brush in the paths of fires threatening to reach buildings. There was no estimate of when the park’s south entrance, closed since two blazes crossed the road a week ago, would be reopened.

In Alaska, dozens of fires started by lightning were rampaging over nearly 1.5 million acres of public land. The biggest, a 409,000-acre conflagration in black spruce forest 60 miles north of Fairbanks, was being battled by nearly 200 firefighters, and a reinforcement crew of 185 was on the way. In Montana, seven fires that have charred more than 31,000 acres of forest remained out of control.

Thousands of South Dakotans returned to their homes after firefighters announced 90% containment of the fire outside Rapid City. Full containment of the 3,000-acre fire, which has destroyed 15 houses, 33 other buildings and 18 vehicles, was expected by 6 a.m. today.

Meanwhile, the state and private businesses offered rewards totaling $16,000 for information leading to the arsonist responsible for the $1.3-million blaze, and an interagency task force was set up to pursue the case.

Rain brought some relief Friday to drought-stricken portions of the Farm Belt. Showers and thunderstorms were reported in Minnesota, southeastern South Dakota, Nebraska, Missouri and northern Arkansas.