Spearfish officials praise volunteers, urge patience as Lookout Mountain fire is fought

Fire Chief Scott Smith told the City Council that incident command is being led by the state and thanked residents and outside resources for rapid support while crews work the Lookout Mountain fire.

"We had a lot of great resources come in yesterday," Smith said, and he emphasized that the community's volunteers and mutual‑aid crews have been critical. Smith asked residents not to clog access routes or emergency lines: "the 9 1 1 systems are not information. It's currently being overloaded in both Spearfish and up the hill in Deadwood." He added that containment at one point was reported as 0% and explained that containment does not mean the fire is out but that crews have secured control lines where possible.

Mayor Senden and other council members thanked neighbors who assisted with livestock and other ad hoc response efforts. Parks staff and volunteers described organizing trailers, gates and riders to move cattle off the mountain and said volunteers and donated supplies have been overwhelming in a positive way.

Police and incident command urged residents to sign up for CivicReady/Notify Me and follow official social channels for evacuation guidance. Chief Colin said certain neighborhoods (Kerwin Road, Lookout Vista and surrounding areas) were later permitted to return with ID verification at a checkpoint. Council members said they would continue monitoring incident command updates and would rely on official channels to avoid diverting responder resources.