ESMOND — No structures or standing corn was damaged after a 100-acre field fire was seen in Esmond late Friday morning, Rochelle Fire Department Firefighter/Paramedic Curt Helgren said.
The Rochelle Fire Department was dispatched to the area of Illinois Route 64 and Chamberlain Road for the report of a field fire at approximately 11:20 a.m. Friday. RFD responded as mutual aid to Lynn-Scott-Rock Fire's district. One firefighter was transported to Rochelle Community Hospital with an injury due to the fire and smoke but was checked out and was “fine,” Helgren said.
“The fire started near Illinois Route 64 and was wind driven and all corn stubble,” Helgren said. “We got it stopped before it got to any standing corn. It probably burned up 100 acres of corn stubble. How fast the fire spreads all depends on the wind. It can spread really quickly with high winds.”
Along with RFD, responding departments included the Ogle-Lee Fire Protection District stations of Creston, Steward, Hillcrest and Flagg Center, Stillman Fire, Monroe Fire, Malta Fire, and Oregon Fire. Fire officials were also assisted by the Ogle County Sheriff’s Office and local farmers.
“When you have a field fire like that, we have wildland fire fighting trucks that can get across areas that our large engines can’t access,” Helgren said. “We call in those from other districts and we really play the wind the best we can. You protect structures, property and standing crops. Luckily we had quite a few local farmers out there with disking tractors to till the ground to stop the fire from having a place to spread to.”
Helgren said the cause of the Friday fire is still undetermined. RFD also aided Malta Fire with another large field fire earlier in the week. The current dry conditions in the area and the wind this time of year make field fires more likely to start and spread. Helgren cautioned area residents about being safe with fires on their properties and disposing of cigarette butts properly. He called corn fields “highly flammable and very difficult to put out.”
Helgren said RFD was thankful that all structures and standing corn in the area were unaffected. He thanked the farmers that took time to help out Friday.
“Farmers are more of a help to us than they know,” Helgren said. “We were grateful to have them. They can do things we can’t. When they can take a tractor and cut a 20-foot line instantly to stop a fire, it helps us a ton.”
