Pasture 3B Escaped RX 2013

On Wednesday April 3, 2013, the Pasture 3B prescribed fire was ignited approximately ten miles southeast of Hettinger, North Dakota in Perkins County, South Dakota. Unit 3B East was planned for 210 acres in a mostly flat grass fuel model. In total, five small slop-over areas crept through the wet line between 1230 and 1340. All spots were quickly extinguished. Patrols were conducted along all flanks of the burn, and at 1352, a slop-over on the east flank was reported on the radio with urgency to respond. At the time of discovery, the slop-over (ultimately the escape) was found moving past the east containment line and had already burned approximately one tenth of an acre into the tall grass. This slop-over and escape coincided with the passage of a cold front and an increase in wind speed within the unit. Two engines and an additional UTV responded, but within minutes, the escape advanced rapidly in taller cured grass adjacent to the unit, lined up with a small saddle, and quickly “ran over the hill”.