2 different fires reported in the Rapid City area Monday

RAPID CITY, S.D.(KOTA)- Monday saw the Rapid City Fire Department respond to a pair of unrelated fires, the first of which was the result of a gas line break on the 900 block of 11th Street.

Tessa Jaeger, public information officer for the RCFD, said what started as a safety call turned into an evacuation, an explosion and a five-hour operation.

There was nobody in the home at the time excluding a single dog, which was rescued from the fire and will be okay.

Jaeger said when gas is involved, the situation changes for firefighters.

The second fire took place at the Rapid City Landfill recycling center. Jaeger said the effort to fully suppress this fire required heavy machinery.

Jaeger said the landfill fire, which produced heavy smoke conditions, can still be smelled throughout the fire station.