RAPID CITY, S.D. – Later this week, hundreds of thousands of visitors will descend on the hills’ for the 86^th annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally during a serious drought that has blanketed most of the region.

Fire officials say everyone needs to be aware of the drought conditions and extreme fire danger and be aware of the local burn restrictions and safety measures: pay attention, make sure vehicles are mechanically sound, don’t let chains drag, show caution with cigarettes, pay attention to burn restrictions including no campfires in the Black Hills.

“Do everything you can to avoid some type of a spark or some type of ignition,” Jerome Harvey, Fire Administrator, Pennington County said.

Drought has impacted a portion of western South Dakota including Pennington and Meade counties. The U.S. Drought Monitor shows a vast majority of the Black Hills in extreme drought which elevates the fire risk.

As a result, currently, a vast swath of National Forest lands is under Stage 2 Fire Restrictions which put tight restrictions on, or completely prohibit, campfires, open burning, outdoor smoking, and vehicle use off road.

“Our people stay as ready as they can year-round,” Harvey said. “During the rally specifically some of our departments may man up… encourage people to be at the station so they can get a little quicker response.”

Historically however, Harvey pointed out, the rally has been an emergency medical services and law enforcement challenge but not an actual fire problem.

“Very much the hills are a red zone,” Harvey said. “Really Western South Dakota is a red zone. But historically the rally… has not been a huge fire problem during the actual rally itself.”

The Rapid City Fire Department is well prepared for the annual rally and associated fire risks but Brian Povandra, Deputy Fire Chief, Rapid City Fire Department, said historically the department gets busier with emergency medical service calls, not fires.

“We do seem to see higher EMS calls during this time, motorcycle accidents, things along those lines,” Povandra said. “Fire calls usually don’t increase a whole lot.”

Povandra reiterated Harvey’s message that anyone in the hills should review fire restrictions for the area and be extra cautious with ignition sources like cigarettes, hot vehicles, chains dragging on the ground, and campfires – which are largely restricted due to conditions.

“It’s very dry in the Black Hills region right now,” Povandra said. “As you’ve seen we’ve had some high to very high to extreme fire dangers throughout the past month.”

The cool days and a bit of rain, however, didn’t free the hills’ from the red-flag danger.

“Fires spread very rapidly and quickly in dry conditions like this,” Povandra said. “A small fire can get away and become a big fire really, really quickly.”