The Black Hills region of South Dakota and Wyoming has a unique wildland fire and urban interface problem unlike most other areas in the Western United States. Like many other forested regions of the West, however, forest fuels have become more abundant during the last century. Long-term fire suppression, drought and local weather conditions have combined to accelerate fire behavior in recent large wildfires. With a growing local population and continued heavy summer tourism, the wildland fire and urban interface problem may continue to worsen provided the right climatological and meteorological conditions.