Rural county fire leaves one dead

The remains of one person were found in a home that burned down in the early morning hours of Dec. 20.
According to a press release from Custer County Emergency Management director Steve Esser at around 12:45 a.m. fire departments from Pringle, Argyle and Custer were paged to a reported structure fire in rural Custer County between Pringle and Argyle.
Upon arrival units found a single family dwelling with heavy smoke and flames showing. An external attack of the fire was established. The fire was contained at approximately 5:30 a.m.
Because there were reports that an individual was in the home at the time of the fire and could not be accounted for, a fire investigator from the South Dakota Fire Marshal’s office was ordered. The investigator arrived at approximately 9:30 A.M.
Fire and law enforcement personnel searched the remains of the structure and located the deceased individual at approximately 12:15 p.m. on Dec. 21.
The victim’s name has not been released pending family notification and investigation.
Agencies responding to the incident were Pringle Fire Department, Argyle Fire Department, Custer Fire Department, Custer Ambulance Service, Custer County Sheriff’s Office, Custer Emergency Management, Custer County Coroner, Black Hills Electric Cooperative and South Dakota Fire Marshal’s Office.