Employees of the high school on the Crow Creek Sioux Reservation said they reacted like anyone else would have when four girls were trapped in a fire at the student dormitory.

The dorm at Crow Creek High School, a tribal- and Bureau of Indian Affairs-administered school, caught fire on Sunday. Quick-acting employees led most of the 30-plus students inside to safety but four girls remained inside.

Staff members crawled back in the building to lead two of the girls to safety. Employee Jeff Swanson helped the final two escape by catching and pulling them out of a third-story window because the firefighters' ladder could only reach the second floor.

The entire dormitory -- including all of the students' belongings -- was destroyed. A Crow Creek School Relief fund has been set up at the Wells Fargo bank in South Dakota. Clothing donations are being accepted at the Crow Creek Elementary School.

Get the Story:
Girls' cries haunt rescuers (The Sioux Falls Argus Leader 4/26)
Cause of dorm fire still uncertain (AP 4/25)

Relevant Links:
Crow Creek Tribal School - http://www.crowcreek.k12.sd.us

Related Stories:
Girls saved from fire at Crow Creek school dorm (4/25)