Wildfire — Marshall, South Dakota

2025-03-20 · Marshall, South Dakota

Event narrative

A fire developed in the afternoon 3 miles west of Sunset Colony at a nearby farmstead. The fire spread rapidly into a low marshy area with a large pond, burning mostly into an area designated as Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) land. The Automated Weather Observing System (AWOS) 2 miles north of Britton would record gusts of 35 mph that afternoon. The fire burned approximately 1285 acres.

Wider weather episode

Departing high pressure created a stiff south breeze, with mild temperatures and low humidity. Drought conditions continued well into the month, and the combination of hot dry weather and dry fuels resulted in fires across north central and northeast South Dakota. The largest of these fires was approximately 1285 acres, 3 miles west of Sunset Colony in Marshall county, while a 290 acre fire ignited near La Plant in Dewey county.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1234737. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.