RAPID CITY, S.D. – A quick-thinking volunteer fire crew utilized a local creek to rapidly contain a wildfire near Camp Remington this afternoon, bypassing a lengthy trek to the nearest major water source.

The Rockerville Volunteer Fire Department reported that its crew on Engine 3-4 was dispatched to assist the U.S. Forest Service on a blaze burning in the Black Hills National Forest.

The closest large water source available for the trucks was Lakota Lake, which officials estimated would require a turn-around time of more than an hour to draft and transport water back to the scene.

Rather than delaying the firefight, the Rockerville crew set up a drafting operation directly from a nearby creek. The tactical decision allowed firefighters to establish a continuous water supply and get water on the fire quickly, preventing the flames from spreading further into the timber.

“Instead they utilized the creek for drafting and were able to get water on the fire quickly,” the department noted in an online update detailing the incident.