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November 28, 2018

Victim in fatal garage fire identified

Victim in fatal garage fire identified Rapid City Fire Department

The victim who perished during a garage fire at 118 Signal Drive in the early morning hours of November 26th has been identified as 46-year-old Ivan Hollowhorn of Rapid City.

On November 26th at around 1:30 a.m. Rapid City police and firefighters were dispatched to 118 Signal Drive for a report of a garage that was on fire. On arrival, first responders noted the garage was fully engulfed in flames. As fire crews worked to extinguish the fire, Hollowhorn was located inside the garage, deceased.

An autopsy has since been conducted in the investigation. That autopsy has determined the cause of death to be smoke inhalation. Police suspect the cause of the garage fire to be accidental in nature. During the investigation, witnesses indicated that the occupants of the garage had been consuming alcohol prior to the fire.

Information garnered through the investigation indicates a history of Hollowhorn using the garage as shelter. He was also known to create fires inside the garage for warmth.

“Any incident involving the loss of life is a tragedy for our community,” says Assistant Chief of Police Don Hedrick. “Mr. Hollowhorn is representative of Rapid City’s extremely vulnerable homeless population. The RCPD, along with dozens of other local service agencies work tirelessly to ensure there is always a safe place for our homeless population to find shelter. These direct resources include the Cornerstone Rescue Mission and the ‘safe bed’ services available at the Pennington County Care Campus. Our partnership with these organizations means we can find a safe overnight stay for anyone needing one.”

The Rapid City Police Department is committed to making sure everyone in our community can find a safe place to be for the evening. Should anyone need any assistance taking advantage of these resources, they can always call 394-4131 to seek help doing so from the RCPD.