A SECTION of approximately a half mile including multiple tree belts burned in the early hours of Saturday morning. The fire was mostly kept from spreading too far east and west, but instead followed the Letcher oil road north and south. Four area departments assisted in extinguishing the blaze.

The dry spring has been keeping local volunteer firemen abnormally busy for the season. Woonsocket and other area departments have been called to four fires in the past two weeks and two over the Easter weekend. Friday afternoon, April 18 amidst 40-plus mile an hour winds, Woonsocket firemen were called out to the Mike Brosnan farm northwest of Woonsocket where a shelterbelt caught fire. The fire jumped nearly half a mile in the high winds, but was contained before causing damage to any structures. Very early Saturday morning, April 19 a fire ignited just south of Highway 34 on the west side of the Letcher oil road. The blaze engulfed a large area of pasture and tree belts, owned by Leon Fredrichs, but was contained before it could cross any roads or reach any structures. The Artesian, Letcher, Wessington Springs and Woonsocket fire departments, along with the SD Wheat Growers assisted in the fire. The two fires the week prior included an assist by the Woonsocket FD to a large Jerauld County grassfire north of Lane on land owned by Brandenburgs. The other was a grassfire northwest of Woonsocket on Davis land.