| Jasper Fire | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Jasper Fire approaching Jewel Cave | |
| Date(s) | August 24 – September 25, 2000 |
| Location | Black Hills, South Dakota, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 43°47′40″N 103°52′56″W / 43.79444°N 103.88222°W |
| Statistics | |
| Burned area | 83,508 acres (33,794 ha; 337.94 km2) |
| Impacts | |
| Damage | $42 million |
| Ignition | |
| Cause | Dropped lit match |
| Perpetrator(s) | Janice Stevenson |
| Motive | Arson |
| Map | |
  General area of the fire in South Dakota | |
The Jasper Fire was a wildfire that occurred between August 24 and September 25, 2000, in the Black Hills of South Dakota, United States. Burning a total of 83,508 acres (33,794 ha; 337.94 km2) across the southern hills, it is the largest wildfire in both state and Black Hills history.[1][2] It burned over 90% of the total land area of Jewel Cave National Monument. As of 2024[update], efforts to replenish the natural vegetation inside the burn scar are still ongoing.[3]
The cause of the fire was later determined to be arson. Janice Stevenson of Newcastle, Wyoming, was arrested and accused of setting the fire by way of dropping a lit match and failing to put it out. In 2001, Stevenson pled guilty to second-degree arson and was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
- ^ "History". South Dakota Wildland Fire. South Dakota Department of Public Safety. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
- ^ O'Bryan, Miranda (August 24, 2020). "20th anniversary of largest wildfire in South Dakota history". KOTA-TV. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
savic2024was invoked but never defined (see the help page).