Quick Response Stops Ditch Fire South of Highway 212

Northeast Radio SD News – Watertown, SD - Watertown Fire Rescue crews quickly contained a fast‑moving ditch and field fire Thursday evening near the intersection of 42nd Street Southwest and 9th Avenue Southwest, according to a media release from the department. The fire was reported at approximately 6:30 p.m.

Brush 1, Brush 3, Tender 1, and Battalion 1 responded with four personnel. Firefighters arrived to find dry vegetation and corn‑stalk residue burning along the roadside ditch and the edge of an adjacent field. Crews attacked the fire from both the north and south flanks, stopping its forward progress using water carried on the brush trucks. Tender operations were ultimately not needed.

Firefighters remained on scene for about 30 minutes, performing extinguishment, overhaul, and checking for hotspots before returning to service.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, the department said.